Mental Health and India’s initiative

Mental Health and India’s initiative

• The Lancet published a paper titled "Ending Stigma and Prejudice in Mental Health" on October 10 in honor of World Mental Health Day. The research urged drastic action to eradicate stigma and discrimination related to mental health.

What are the Report's Findings?

• Globally, about a billion people struggle with a mental illness.
• In the group of young people aged 10 to 19, one in seven is affected by a mental illness.
• Both the effects of the disease itself and the negative social repercussions of stigma and prejudice threaten these people.
• The Covid-19 pandemic contributed to raising awareness of the global crisis in mental health.
• In the first year of the pandemic, there was an estimated 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and despair.

Impact:

• Stigma and prejudice have a detrimental effect on 90% of people with mental health disorders.
• Stigma can "cause social isolation and disempowerment of people with mental health illnesses, resulting in discrimination and human rights violations, including difficulties obtaining healthcare, difficulties finding job, and a higher risk of health complications leading to early death."

Indian Case Study:

• Even if there has been a progressive decline in stigma in India, it is still a problem that exists today.
• More stigma is experienced by women and the members of their families who have a severe mental illness, which has an impact on marriage and work and limits social inclusion.
• The media in India continues to portray mental illness badly, especially the visual media like television dramas.

Suggestions:

• Governments, International organizations, employers, healthcare providers, and media organizations should all take immediate action to end stigma and prejudice towards persons with mental illnesses, and those with lived experience should also actively participate in this effort.
• The school curriculum should contain lessons for students to have better knowledge of mental health disorders. Employers are to support full access to educational opportunities, work participation, and return-to-work programs for people with mental health conditions.
• People with lived experience of mental health disorders must be empowered and supported so they may actively participate in efforts to reduce stigma.??????????????

Why Do We Celebrate World Mental Health Day?

• Every year on October 10th, World Mental Health Day is observed to raise awareness and educate people throughout the world about mental health issues.
• On October 10, 1992, the inaugural World Mental Health Day was observed.
• Richard Hunter, the World Federation for Mental Health's Deputy Secretary-General at the time, established the day as an annual event.
• Making universally accessible mental health a global concern is the theme for 2022.

What steps has India taken to advance mental health?

National Mental Health Program:

• Since 1982, the government has been carrying out the National Mental Health Program (NMHP) to address the enormous burden of mental diseases and lack of skilled experts in the field of mental health.

Mental HealthCare Act 2017:

• In order to comply with the standards of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which India adopted in 2007, the Mental Health Care Act (MHCA) 2017 went into effect in 2018.

Kiran Support:

• With the goals of early detection, first aid, psychological support, distress management, encouraging positive behaviours, etc., it provides mental health rehabilitation services.

Manodarpan:

• It was introduced as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan by the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD), which is now the Ministry of Education. It aims to assist kids, families, and teachers with psychological support for their mental health and well-being during the times of Covid-19.
• The government of India introduced the Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System (MANAS) mobile app in 2021 to encourage mental wellbeing among various age groups.

Way ahead

• India's mental health crisis necessitates proactive policy changes and resource allocation on the part of the government. We require actions to educate and sensitize the community and society in order to lessen the stigma associated with mental health.
• India also needs ongoing funding to promote awareness of chronic issues related to mental health and to educate people about them.
• With the help of initiatives like the Swachh Mansikta Abhiyan, it is imperative to encourage people to understand about mental health.

Read Also; Initiatives for the Mental Health in Students