Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Find news, articles, stories, anecdotes, testimonials, from all over the world about mental well-being, motivation and awareness.
12 September, 2022
The step by NCERT comes after a mental health survey was conducted among school children.
The survey cited exams, results among major factors for stress and anxiety among school students.
Teachers should talk about bullying cases in class and empower students on the issue, NCERT stated.
10 September, 2022
AIRF General Secretary Shiva Gopal Mishra said on Thursday that a toll-free number and an application will be launched soon to address the mental health issues of railway employees.
AIRF, the largest railway association for employees of the national transporter, on Thursday identified 125 first responders across the country who will be the point persons in zonal railways for those employees who want to talk about mental stress, according to news agency PTI report.
9 September, 2022
According to WHO, India accounts for about 15% of total global mental health burden, causing a loss of $14 Billion (over INR 1 lakh Crore) yearly due to poor status of employee mental health.
About 47% of the professionals surveyed consider workplace related stress as the primary stressor for mental health followed by financial and COVID-19 problems.
8 September, 2022
As per 2016 survey of National Mental Health Survey, Bipolar disorder is often mixed with Schizophrenia and not treated likewise.
Where can be specific counseling methods, anonymous groups and treatment modalities for bipolar disorder, the problem goes untreated in 70% of cases when it is treatable.
7 September, 2022
As the students moved from middle to secondary school, they were feeling less confident about their appearance, with lower satisfaction with personal and school life.
The girls reported higher percentage of feeling anxious than boys in the survey where exams were the leading cause of anxiety amongst students.
6 September, 2022
Rise in regular use of media is a concern for the parents for their children. While the children are enthusiastic about learning something new, the correct usage is the key to ensure that media has minimal to no negative impact on the young ones.
Director Nani Saikia and Senior Programme Manager of the NGO Kamruz Haque gave a brief account on the findings of their community mental health programme covering a total of 1857 mentally ill patients across 80 villages of Sipajhar.
5 September, 2022
Recording the highest number of suicides in a calender year, India witnessed 1.64 lakh suicides in 2021 that included 1.19 lakh males, 45,026 females and 28 transgenders.
“There are various causes of suicides like professional or career problems, sense of isolation, abuse, violence, family problems, mental disorders, addiction to alcohol, financial loss, chronic pain etc,” the NCRB said in its annual report for 2021.
3 September, 2022
Almost 2600 suicides were reported in Punjab in 2021 wherein 1164 or 44.8% were due to illnesses or ailments.
Punjab's rate or suicide has been higher than the national average of 18.6% by 2.5 times.
2 September, 2022
MNY has partnered with non-profit organization Sangath to provide one-on-one counseling via a toll-free helpline number 011-41198666 and TheMindClan.com for expert resources
In India, about 41% of youngsters between the ages 15-24 believe that it is necessary to take therapy when needed.
1 September, 2022
Research and studies are finding that children are opening up easily to a quizzical looking, child size robot than to another human being and in many cases, disclosing information that they had never shared before.
“There are times when traditional methods aren’t able to catch mental wellbeing lapses in children, as sometimes the changes are incredibly subtle,” said Nida Itrat Abbasi, the study’s first author. “We wanted to see whether robots might be able to help with this process.”
31 August, 2022
Giving birth to a child is associated with basic desires of women and not being able to fulfil that manifests emotions like anger, guilt, low self-esteem, sadness and jealousy.
In India, the pressure of having a child looms over a woman since the age of 20s. Stress, depression and anxiety are common impacts of infertility and it is yet not clear that if anxiety and stress causes infertility too.
30 August, 2022
Suicide deaths per million of population were at their peak in 2021 as per reports by NCRB, continuing a disturbing trend from 2020.
Family problems, illnesses, addiction, bankruptcy, love affairs contribute to highest reasoning in suicide rates with the ratio being higher for men than women.
29 August, 2022
According to the new research by McLaughlin, there is a need for focussed media literacy campaigns to develop healthier relationship with news.
Being exposed to a 24 hour news cycle has major impact on an individual that could be greater than physical illness.
27 August, 2022
A research published in the journal PLOS Biology, insufficient sleep is found to be fueling the selfish nature of a person.
Even just an hour of difference was found enough to influence the choice of helping others.
26 August, 2022
Reducing stress, helping with anxiety, increasing thendopamine levels to improve the symptoms of depression are amongst the common effect of music therapy as observed.
Moreover, it has also been seen to improve cognitive functions and delay Alzheimer's.
25 August, 2022
Led by Natasha Sagar, The Happiness Project is set to make the mental healthcare care space more accessible and judgement free.
Natasha strives to normalize conversations about mental health and establish a healthy mental health environment that encourages mental well being.
24 August, 2022
IBS hospital in Delhi launched its first ever personalized brain mapping technology connectomics/Quicktome.
The technology can help map formations of tumors and anamolies while also helping in highlighting chemical activity to map mental health ailments and their points of effect in the brain.
23 August, 2022
The research suggests that there is insufficient data to conclude that online gaming leads to the ideation of suicide and that it calls for a 'rational' regulation based on further studies to be done by medical and scientific communities.
22 August, 2022
A new study published in journal of Molecular Psychiatry has raised questions on effectiveness of anti-depressants on patients that consume it.
The Serotonin theory may not be a singular factor or a one to one causal link to depression.
The new research's focus on questioning the role of Serotonin as a depression factor has created ripples in scientific community.
20 August, 2022
In a new research by Pedro del A la Rosa and colleagues gathered data from 9 countries for keywords like "anxiety", "depression", "suicide", "mental health" and such spanning over 5 years and found that policies and stringency of lockdown had correlation with people searching for mental health aids online.
In countries where the measures were stricter, the search keywords of mental health and related words were searched less as compared to countries where lockdown measures were relaxed and public events continued to happen.
19 August, 2022
Procrastination isn't a result of laziness or poor time management but it is linked to poor mood management, research shows.
Procrastination correlates with serious health and wellbeing problems, including higher levels of depression and anxiety.
Forgiving yourself, showing compassion and using evidence-based strategies to manage your tasks can help to reframe the procrastination cycle
18 August, 2022
Kohli speaks about how he has felt alone among room full of people, a feeling that most people related to.
Kohli has not scored a century since 2019 in any format and his struggles amid poorer form. He mentions that being a senior, there's a lot of pressure to do well all the time but it tears you apart.
17 August, 2022
As per survey, 33% women's social lives have been affected by the menopausal or post menopausal phase.
By 2030, the population of of menopausal women shall rise to 1.2 billion where women face and suffer through the phase mostly in silence with no coping mechanisms in place.
16 August, 2022
The lead star of the latest Spiderman franchisee, Tom Holland, has recently announced that he will be taking a short break from social media to focus on his mental health.
Tom Holland would be seen in an Apple+ upcoming series, The Crowded Room, for which the subject is mental health.
15 August, 2022
NHRC commission delegate led by Justice Arun Mishra shall be visiting Jharkhand for three days including a visit to Ranchi Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Allied Sciences.
This visit will be followed by a 2 day workshop on 17 and 18 of August. The workshop will be conducted for various stakeholders and experts on challenges and issues faced by Ranchi Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Allied Sciences.
13 August, 2022
Counselors experience that pregnancy and the threat of domestic violence that looms on Indian women goes far unaddressed as it should be.
Amongst the most common causes of mental issue here is the birth of a girl child or not being wanting to be intimate with the partner in early months of pregnancy or after the delivery.
12 August, 2022
The study noted that as high as 85% of women and about 70% of men have undergone mental health issues with depression as commonest cause for women and anxiety and panic disorder largely seen in men.
88% of youth respondants between the ages 18 and 24 suffer from mental health concerns.
11 August, 2022
Parliamentaries and Domains discuss methods for suicide prevention policy and building a positive environment in India.
India holds the highest number of suicides in the world amongst which, two-thirds become the youth if the nation.
10 August, 2022
Worldwide, about 35% of children below the age 14 and about 48% below the age of 18 have a first hand mental health issue experience.
Sports for development organization are majorly helpful in developing interpersonal skills like empathy, communication and emotional regulation amongst adolescents.
9 August, 2022
Playing card games that involves certain amount of math skills leaves a person with heightened sense of self esteem and psychologically benefiting the individual.
The seven benefits include improving conversation skills, building interpersonal relations, improving and boosting memory and observation skills, improvements in reasoning, thinking, strategizing, interpretation and decisive traits.
8 August, 2022
Not having access to nature is linked with elevated occurrences of stress, depression and anxiety.
Gardening has been proven to reduce these symptoms as much as exercising, cycling or meditation and can induce positive thoughts as an outcome that goes true for houseplants as well.
6 August, 2022
With no psychiatrist present in Thane mental hospital with 8 vacant positions as revealed by RTI activist Jeetendra Ghadge of The Young Whistleblowers Foundation.
Nagpur hospital has 3 working psychiatrists out of 9 while Pune has filled 1 out of 13 posts.
5 August, 2022
A group of 11 walked the ramp on Medico-Pastoral Association in Bengaluru were recovered patients of mental health disorders like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
"Patients are referred to MPA by psychiatric departments of different hospitals. Caregivers and residents interact with the in-house panel of psychiatrists, which decides if a person is eligible for rehabilitation. Those admitted have a daily routine. Specific deficits are also worked on, as per each individual's need. For instance, those with schizophrenia have a problem with personal hygiene, but we have a routine for it. We work on communication skills for some," said Bhaskar, administrator of the association.
4 August, 2022
The early morning school timings and late sleeping patterns leave the kids with 5 to 6 hours of sleep that may not be quality sleep for children of that age.
John Hopkins University experts have pointed that fulfilling sleep is necessary for the the children at the elementary level.
3 August, 2022
West Bengal University of Health Sciences has announced an awareness program as Gate Keeper's training for various medical colleges and other institutions in its purview.
There have been increased incidents of suicides amongst the paramedical and medical students' community and the University believes that an initiative is needed for the occurrences to come down and stop.
2 August, 2022
A few weeks back, an unofficial session was held in Thrissur Medical College by a religious group to speak about how LGBTQIA+ is anti-Islam and anti-science. Other than the private event, even Indian Medical texts are rampant in nature about LGBTQIA.
Kerala high court has already ordered to remove queerphobic and transphobic content from textbooks last year, responding to the plea from NGOs Queerythm and Disha.
1 August, 2022
Journalist Nilanjana Bhowmik shares that women cover up 82% of domestic duties in the country, spending 433 minutes on an average on caregiving and domestic responsibilities .
The middle class Indian women have also become co-bread winners, however, the Indian men are yet to be co-care givers. This brunt may be overbearing for women in India.
30 July, 2022
National Human Rights Commission chief, Arun Kumar Mishra said that people with mental health conditions and problems should not be left at the mercy of family members.
(Retd) Justice Mishra was appalled to see that family members disown the patients with mental illness and allow them to suffer at mental health institutions.
29 July, 2022
Shawn Mendes cancelled his North America and Europe tours to take care of his mental health.
He says he wasn't ready for how difficult touring would be after a long time away.
Mendes was touring post the release of his album "Wonder" in June, announcing a three week break earlier this month, now stretching into the entire tour.
28 July, 2022
Nurses and health workers will be given mental health training and be stationed at ward number 6, adjacent to KMC. This station will be a digital hub for mental health services.
The training for doctors has already started for providing preliminary mental health services.
27 July, 2022
Paddy Upton was a part of 2011 World Cup winning team of India, has again joined the ranks as mental health conditioning coach.
Upton enjoys a good rapport with Rahul Dravid and both have previously worked together as coaches for many teams in IPL.
26 July, 2022
Eight year long MYRIAD study with 28,000 children, finds out that school culture is more important than universal intervention.
The study figures based on evidence that "one size fits all" does not work and is not the right approach for mindfulness training that has no effect on children's mental health.
25 July, 2022
The PG medical student of anesthesia took her own life on Sunday, while a note has also been recovered and the investigation is under way.
The government is pushing the functioning of 704 centers of District Mental Health Programme along with furthering of initiatives like setting up of helplines, issuing of guidance and advocacy through social media platforms.
23 July, 2022
The Brain Health Clinic was inaugurated by Karnataka Health Minister at Jayanagar General Hospital, Bengaluru, established by Karnataka Brain Health department and in association with NIMHANS.
The Health Minister also announced that mental health services will also be available at 243 'namma' centers that will be launched soon.
22 July, 2022
The connection between gut bacteria and mental health is studied in recent years, leading to findings towards fibre rich diets that can help maintain the gut flora and manage anxiety, depression and other mental health concerns really well.
Fibre rich diets also contribute in increased levels of Serotonin and lowers inflammation.
21 July, 2022
Around 819 personnel from Army, Navy and the Air force have taken their own lives in last five years not including the cases of 'fratricide'.
The armed forces have continuously evolved measures to take care of mental health and an elaborate programme has been in place since 2009.
20 July, 2022
A new research by Mintel has brought new information to light about how milllenials are spending more on their health to reduce anxiety and stress.
Research showed that 41% individuals from age group 25-34 find themselves stressed with daily work as compared to just 22% between the age groups of 18-24.
19 July, 2022
As per a survey, people who ate fruit regularly scored low on depression rate as compared to people who did not include fruit in their diet.
The British Journal of Nutrition surveyed 428 people and found that people who ate savouries, food that is low on nutrition, were mostly associated with depression and its symptoms.
18 July, 2022
Samsung with its campaign Solve For Tomorrow provides platform for education, mental health and more such amenities for social well being, providing aids for youth to reach out to people and children.
8000 participants from all over the nation have come together to participate in Solve For Tomorrow to provide solutions for issues and win a prize of INR 1 crore and 6 months mentorship.
16 July, 2022
WHO report says 1 in 8 people, all over the world suffer from one mental health issue or the other and 85% of them go entirely untreated.
Women form the major chunk in developed and developing countries like U.S. and Japan who need immediate attention.
However, survey has found regional differences in mode of treatment required for mental health issues where the Americas and Canada have a preference for one-to-one conversation, the APAC region population prefers self care routine.
15 July, 2022
A new mental health venture, run by top psychiatrists of Chennai treated about 400 police officers suffering from alcohol addiction, clinical depression and mental health problems.
While there were a few who suffered from work related issues due to inadequate leaves and others needed family or grief counseling.
14 July, 2022
National Human Rights Commission, along with Madhya Pradesh Government formulated a plan for effective functioning of Gwalior Mansik Aarogyashala.
NHRC commission conducted a two day workshop and Justice Arun Mishra, NHRC chairperson, mentioned that innovative ideas are needed to remove the stigma and achieve a safe world for people with mental illnesses.
13 July, 2022
A Lancet study showed that India has one of the highest suicide rates in the world with the major age group being affected lying between ages 15 to 29.
As per the NCRB record, in the year of 2020, more than 12,500 students took their own life, that is an average of 34 lives lost per day.
12 July, 2022
Bhargav Sri Prakasha, an Indian Biomedical engineer Tech entrepreneur has received a patent on world's first digital vaccine to provide and influence positive human behavior through neurocognitive function in metaverse.
He is a founder of lifesciences startup named FriendsLearn.
11 July, 2022
The fear of getting infected rose upto 65%, the fear of social isolation increased upto 58%.
Upto 57% seniors faced mental health issues and to tackle that about 64% senior citizens believed that the idea of independent assisted living facility.
9 July, 2022
The vision is to build a community of high performers on harnessing a growth mindset within individuals.
The mental gym's aim is to gamify mental fitness without any labels or tags. The goal is to increase productivity by 10 times. The sessions commence from 10th July.
8 July, 2022
Over 5 hours of video game usage can be termed as addiction. With incidents popping up where children have killed owing to excessive video game usage, the violent streak is seen on a rise where any hindrance to playing the game is not received well by the addicted children.
The pandemic has shown multifold rise in gamers with Paytm First Games reporting a rise of 200% in their user base.
7 July, 2022
1 in 5 fathers experience anxiety in the perinatal period while 1 in 10 may also experience depression after the child birth.
Juggling work and home responsibilities and managing budgeting, struggles and sleep is something that fathers don't talk about.
6 July, 2022
Experts suggest that having a mental health issue is not a sign of weakness. A mental health condition like depression or anxiety, does not affect the intelligence, skills and knowledge of a person.
Mental health conditions have nothing to do with an individuals prowess or success. The merits are often misunderstood for being an excuse for not having a poor mental health condition, however, in reality, anyone can go through mental health issue despite of their environment, status or face value.
5 July, 2022
The fuel used for cooking majorly determines the mental impact on women. In sub-Saharan regions where coal and kerosene is still used by 85% of population, the women folk face 50% more chances of falling into depression.
Access to clean energy has shown improvement in mental health due to reliability and food security.
4 July, 2022
The matter of lack of psychiatrists' visit was discussed at a state level meeting, urging the CDMO to instruct the psychiatrists to visit the prisons once or twice a week.
Currently, in 49 prisons out of 87, psychiatrists have visited once or twice in the month of June, 2022.
Out of 19,571 inmates in 87 prisons, about 792 are diagnosed with mental illnesses.
2 July, 2022
Chocolates affect the functioning of the brain by releasing neurotransmitters that are responsible for sending happy signals to the brain.
Phenylethylamine, Dopamines, Theobromines, Anandamide and Serotonin are a few neurotransmitters and hormones that chocolates triggers or induces in human body that contribute as "happy hormones".
1 July, 2022
Studies by integrative medicine department of National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences finds that yoga and ayurveda beneficial in treating neurological and mental disorders.
The department that began in 2019 brought together psychiatry, ayurveda and yoga under one umbrella. The studies show that doing yoga 5 days a week for 12 weeks could be as good as taking anti-depressants for mild to moderate depression.
30 June, 2022
With no targets, compulsory weekend offs, some may call a traders' work a dream job, however, it comes with its own set of challenges. Sachin Gupta CEO and Director, Whole Time shares his two cents on maintaining mental health.
Basic pointers include, doing regular exercise, not overworking, taking vacations and more.
29 June, 2022
Evolve app is helping out the people from LGBTQIA community with coming out and embracing their sexuality.
The CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) based app aims to provide treatment with identifying and changing underlying negative thought patterns that can benefit the individual.
28 June, 2022
A new cross-disciplinary paper from Edith Cowen University can change how we view tourism. The recreational experience can impart and enhance the positive effect on your mental health.
"Medical experts can recommend dementia treatments such as music therapy, exercise, cognitive stimulation, reminiscence therapy, sensory stimulation, and adaptations to a patient's meal times and new environment," Dr Wen said.
27 June, 2022
UK maritime minister has launched a new recovery route map, setting the actions to help recover the sector from the effects of the pandemic.
The new program will focus on developing skills required to tackle the mental health challenges faced by seafarers as occupational hazards.
25 June, 2022
In terms of prevalence, about 242 million Indians are suffering from hypertension and human resources required to tackle that number is not sufficient. The prevalence is on the rise while the ratio of experts per million is declining.
Digital management becomes the way forward to reach the target population with the maximum efficacy and to benefit of major chunk of population in lesser time.
24 June, 2022
Study conducted in May 2022 had 1277 respondants having the age of 18 or above responded with flexibility at work was preferred over 4 day work week.
Study also found that for 35% employees flexibility meant having control of hours of work. For 22%, flexibility meant choosing which days to work. For 20% it meant working from any location while for about 14%, flexibility meant progress be measured by performance in place of number of hours put in.
23 June, 2022
Dr. Yashwant Chaudhary, a psychiatrist from the United States started the venture, Online Docs, to provide telepsychiatry services to the people of India.
The services will start from the month of June, 2022 and the team will comprise of psychologists and psychiatrists from India and the US to provide the services.
22 June, 2022
Kolkata police organized a "sainik sammelan" on 20th June, Monday. This event comes couple of week after a constable killed a women, injured two others and took his own life later.
In the one hour program, one of the the stress management instructor who address over a hundred cops had worked with NYPD and Mala Choudhary, another instructor insisted on spending quality time with family as much as possible.
21 June, 2022
The brain, just like any other body part, needs rest to function better and effectively. Brain is said to be processing about 70,000 thoughts every single day, even during sleeping hours.
In a social media post, Bhakti Kapoor, nutritionist, writes about how digital detoxification is needed to give the mind some rest and instead performing some cognitive functions in the environment like taking a walk or having a conversation with someone can be beneficial.
20 June, 2022
About 67% of those who received Electroconvulsive Therapy were women. About 36% of those who underwent therapy were said to have not given the consent.
The ECT, in many experts' opinion is an outdated therapy that has lasting and irreversible damage including loss of memory.
NHS treatment guidelines suggest that ECT be only given when cases of depression are life-threatening, where a rapid response is required and where other modalities have failed.
18 June, 2022
In a report released by WHO on 17 June, 2022, about 1 in 8 people are found to be living with one mental disorder. Before pandemic, in 2019, this number was still 1 billion people.
In the first year of pandemic, the rates of common disorders like depression and anxiety went up by 25%.
On an average, countries across the world dedicate only 2% of their healthcare budget to mental health.
17 June, 2022
Manjula Dutta O'Conner is a clinical psychiatrist and chair of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Family Violence Psychiatry Network and has been supporting women for past three decades in her practice.
Her book "Daughters of Durga" speaks about how South Asian women, with a focus on Indian women, face domestic violence and abuse in Australia, what they go through and how they have been dealing with the ordeal.
16 June, 2022
Even before the pandemic, about 50 million children were going through some form of mental disorder and about 80-90% of them did not seek any help from expert.
The pandemic has worsened the condition, taking the toll on children. Journaling became the most recommended mechanisms to tackle trauma and stress in children. Citing the example of "Diary of Anne Frank", psychologists suggest that writing down about their experiences and emotions can help children express what may be otherwise impossible to speak about.
15 June, 2022
Experts at AIIMS Bhubaneshwar said on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day that donating blood not only improves general cardiovascular health but overall mental health as well.
People who are regular, voluntary donors maintain their health for clean transfusion that in turn keeps their mental wellbeing in check.
14 June, 2022
A new research published by The Journal of Positive Psychology has found out that teaching children about how dangerous the world is may not protect them in the ways that a parent thinks they could.
Cultivating a negative world perception may just incubate a plethora of mental health issues amongst children.
13 June, 2022
Obesity is not just an aesthetic problem but a complex medical issue as well. As much as it affects the physical health it also has major implications with mental health too.
About 70-80% of obese patients are suffering from one mental health issue or the other. It could be low-self esteem, depression, body image issues, low confidence, chronic stress and anxiety.
While these are effects of obesity, they may also be the cause of it.
11 June, 2022
Report by Market Reseaech Future (MRFR) suggests that Insomnia market for pharmacological therapy and non-pharmacological therapy is to increase at a rate of 3.11% CAGR till 2030.
The entire market size is estimated to reach at $6.6 Billion. The primary cause of such steep increase is predicted as stressful work environment leading to high demand in OTC drug purchase.
10 June, 2022
Amazon India will now allow the same gender partner of their employees to sign up for health insurance programs.
The company's Same Gender Coverage Program will allow the employees to cover either reassignment surgery or infertility treatment as a part of the health insurance benefits.
9 June, 2022
U.S. cities are rethinking the law enforcement protocols for non-violent 911 emergencies by dispatching mental health specialists in place of police officers.
The pilot study in Denver showed 34% drop in crime rate in a six month period.
8 June, 2022
Founder of Isha Foundation, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, mentioned that the gun violence in the US is related to youth mental health.
Sadhguru mentions that we have made gun violence a popular thing, referring to the current games being played by the children and how violence is a general structure of the same. Sadhguru further adds that violence and mental health are in direct correlation with each other.
7 June, 2022
NIMHANS, in association with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, will organise a national-level therapeutic and rehabilitative art workshop for persons with disabilities.
It will be a 5 day workshop starting on July 11 for children with learning disabilities, autism, neurological disability, spectrum disorder, intellectual disability and other multiple disabilities.
6 June, 2022
About 40% of parents have mentioned that gaming has had a positive impact on children while 30% have to say the the same about social media.
The Pearsons Global Learners Survey found that 92% of parents insist that schools provide free mental health services.
Amongst above statistics, 88% of parents suggest that children need more physical activity for fitness and mental health.
4 June, 2022
"Be Well Plan" is a five week online guided intervention program that is proving to be an effective alternative for rising pandemic pressure to provide excellent mental health services.
Participants who want to work on their mental health can experiment and tailor the content to their own needs, and actively find ways to make positive changes and develop better habits that work for them.”, Dr Dan Fassnacht, Flinders Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing.
3 June, 2022
Lifestyle habits like alcohol consumption, smoking, irregular sleep cycles and stress is causing the populous of young Indians to be suffering from heart ailments.
Experts believe that one of the main reasons that adds to the stress factor and choice of negatively impacting lifestyle is the need to stay in the competition to achieve more in life, missing out on working on their health.
2 June, 2022
NHRC began with their workshops on mental health attended by employees of rights panel and government agencies.
A commission undertaking the responsibility of the workshops feel that post pandemic, the management of mental health can be dealt better by building awareness, timely counseling and proper psychiatric treatment.
1 June, 2022
In 2018, Shwetanjali Jha, worked as a rural social worker to check for tuberculosis and speak with pregnant mothers to aid them.
In 2018, she once had a call from an expectant mother that altered her course and while she was not catering for mental health calls, she continued to receive request for mental health support and aids.
This led to formation of a hotline, Samya Mobile Baani, in the state of Bihar that exclusively now caters for pregnant women and their mental health needs.
31 May, 2022
In a latest tweet by Prasar Bharati News Services an announcement for dedicated mental health helpline for children under PM CARES will be initiated.
Children will be given a fixed stipend that will cover the expenses upto 5 lakh and upon attaining the age of 23 years, they will be given a fixed amount of 10 lakhs.
30 May, 2022
As a part of Samvad program, NIMHANS, in association with ministry of women and child development works with state governments to formulate policies and set up protocols for tackling mental health issues.
"Children's mental health is a non-negotiable principle and should be taken up in a campaign mode," said Prof Sekhar Seshadri, head of the department of child and adolescent psychiatry at NIMHANS.
28 May, 2022
In a survey conducted by Indore and Indore District, it has been found that mental illness rate is up by 67% as compared to pre-pandemic statistics.
In the fiscal year 2021-22 the number of issues handled by government facilities was 6030 which was about 3600 in the year 2019-20 for the corresponding period.
27 May, 2022
Free medical checkups, including mental health services will be provided in select OPDs on every Thursday at all AYUSH hospitals in Raipur and surrounding districts.
A total of 9550 elderlies have been treated so far at AYUSH OPDs.
26 May, 2022
LISSUN survey highlighted that 70% of mental ailments are detected when they have reached a severe stage and early diagnosis is completely missing for such cases.
The survey indicated that indigestion, constant lethargy and persistent body ache otherwise go undetected.
25 May, 2022
University of York's new research suggests that people with severe mental illnesses have a poor oral and dental hygiene leaving them three times more likely to lose their teeth.
The primary reason for not accessing quality healthcare is affordability.
24 May, 2022
As per a recent RTI filing, there are only 4 regional mental health centers active in the the state of Maharashtra as on May 14 and the abysmal state of Thiruvananthapuram was also revealed. On an average the delay in providing services to patients is between 70-92%.
The statistics are not in favor of providing ample services. For a population 1.3 billion, if there are 10000 psychiatrists, each could be handling 100k cases per year which is practically not possible.
23 May, 2022
A study published in Child Psychology and Human Development Journal, children between the ages 5 to 11 who play outdoors have fewer internalizing problems.
The study suggests that playing outdoors builds resilience in children helping them in developing skills to tackle problems effectively.
21 May, 2022
World Schizophrenia Day is falling on May 24 and this year, we take into account the life of people who are living with the illness and have had to give up on their dreams.
A lot of people like Reena(name changed), speak about how she had to give up on her dream of becoming a pilot owning to a failure in medical examination.
20 May, 2022
About 66.5% of Gen Z and millenial generation prefer hybrid working mode with work from home options than attending office.
“With the increasing demand for hybrid work arrangements, Deloitte’s survey reveals that if Gen Zs and millennials were in charge, they would prioritise and allow employees to work flexible hours to improve work/life balance. It has become imperative for all organisations and business leaders to play a role in supporting their employees in setting boundaries to protect work/life balance.”, says SV Nathan, partner, and chief talent officer, Deloitte India.
19 May, 2022
U.S. Surgeon General issued a report in the year 2001 stating the existence of racial disparities and very little has changed since then.
These differences cause much serious problems in culturally or ethnically minority population in terms of accessing mental health services or receiving a timely response when they do.
“If you think about food insecurity, if you think about housing insecurity, if you think about the underinsured and unemployment, poverty, all of those things are clearly linked in studies to mental health outcomes,” says Professor Enrique Neblett Jr., professor of health behaviour and health education, University of Michigan School of Public Health. “How is access going to improve if there isn’t a concentrated, sustained structural investment in communities to improve the access to high quality care?”
18 May, 2022
Implementation under the mental healthcare Act 2017 has been a sluggish response with Maharashtra having just 8 centers and review boards and UP having just one.
The government center in Peroorkada in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala is an example of oncoming disaster with overcrowding in premises, having unkempt conditions with low ventilation, extreme heat and dehydrating environment. The conditions for inpatient admissions are seemingly worse than prisoners.
17 May, 2022
Age UK has reported that over half a million elderly, over the age of 65 suffer from major anxiety disorder and around 480,000 suffer from depressive disorders.
Although there are commitments by governing and regulating bodies and services are increasing to support mental health, the older people seem to be missing out on all the opportunities.
16 May, 2022
Seasonal affective disorder is quite apparent these days with the extreme hot conditions and ongoing heatwaves sweeping the country. With the rising heat, people are often seen with manic symptoms like increased irritability or extreme cheerfulness while the drop in temperature can lead to feeling of depression.
Children, elderly, chronically ill people, people with mobility issues and pregnant women are more vulnerable to these changes.
14 May, 2022
This free-of-cost helpline is available for 24 hours that provide mental health services and consultations from psychologists and psychiatrists.
You may call on the number '080 6909 6909' to avail these services. AXA is also aiming to provide mental health insurance for their group clients.
13 May, 2022
Patiala DC Sakshi Sawhney mentioned that Sehyogi Helpline (0175-2213385) will be helpful for those who need help with their mental health or are struggling with drug issues.
Thise who approach the helpline, the identities will be kept confidential.
12 May, 2022
A survey conducted by National Family Health Survey and a statement released by Doctors Without Borders suggests that over 98% of gender based violence survivors do not seek any healthcare assistance, primarily physical and psychological aid.
“This latest data reflect a dismal state in the practice of seeking medical care post gender-based violence, including sexual violence. Current estimates reflect that healthcare-seeking behaviour (HSB) among the survivors is still near zero,” said the statement.
11 May, 2022
University Grants Commision has directed institutes to focus on sports as a method to improve students' mental health.
Further, they have also asked institutes to form students services center (SSC) to ensure that they have a one point contact for their mental health issues.
10 May, 2022
The number can be used for generic medical advice to mental health counseling. The 30 seater call center is set up in Raipur and handles calls from all over the state.
Ziqitza healthcare is Asia's largest private medical emergency service firm. Their winning of tender for helpline 104 has paved way for creating efficient tele-services.
9 May, 2022
Manochaitanya clinics are providing mental health services at taluk level hospitals, reaching out to people in remote areas. Sudhakar K, minister for health and family welfare and medical education spoke at 'Swasthya Chintan Shivir' that over a million consulations have been taken in last 3 years with Manochaitanya clinics.
“This includes teleconsultations to migrants, doctors and health care workers who were affected during the pandemic. Also highlights our State’s comprehensive, universal, popular, and innovative mental healthcare system,” he said.
7 May, 2022
In June 2020, Karnataka government launched 'E-Manas' a comprehensive and innovative software platform for mental health with 12 mental health projects to address immediately.
“Karnataka’s ‘E-Manas’ can be implemented nationwide for streamlining mental healthcare,” Sudhakar was quoted as saying in the statement. K Sudhakar is Karnataka's health minister.
6 May, 2022
Bipolar disorder is detected with a diagnostic interview with a mental health expert. A lot of doctors have been studying the brain scans of people with the disorder for any changes that may be seen in the brain structure.
Although, these brain scans are not effective in diagnosing bipolar disorder yet, they help in ruling out certain possibilities of tumor, brain injury or stroke.
5 May, 2022
The guidelines that shall also be open for public feedback, as specially designed for students who appear "more vulnerable and stress prone"
“Every higher educational institution shall have a Students Services Centre (SSC) responsible for dealing with and managing the problems related to stress and emotional adjustment. It shall have the standardized, systematic arrangements within the relevant provision of Ordinances to provide requisite support to students, especially from rural backgrounds, female students, students from divergent cultural backgrounds, and students with special needs,” the guidelines read.
4 May, 2022
In a study that involved more than 5000 psychiatrists from Europe, parts of Asia, United States and New Zealand about 25% respondants were found burned out as per Maslach Burnout Inventory test and 50% showed signs of burnout as per Copenhagen Burnout Inventory.
The study and review of 5000 psychiatrists involved meta-analysis of 36 studies.
3 May, 2022
1 in 5 children and adolescent is struggling with diagnosable mental health issue or learning disorder as surveyed by Child Mind Institute, where they, in their campaign, 'Dare to Share' are encouraging children to speak about their problems and issues that bother them.
The campaign includes inputs from various celebrities like actress Maisie Williams, Olympic Skier Gus Kenworthy, Grammy winning singer, PINK and more.
2 May, 2022
The month of May brings in the mental health awareness month with the primary aim to tackle the taboo and create an environment with positive mental wellness.
A few tips in simple pointers to boost healthy mental health include balanced lifestyle, journaling, positive vocabulary, nurture connections, finding creative outlets and taking essential breaks.
30 April, 2022
Indian students have shown a 55% positive response towards coning back to schools.
Earlier in the survey conducted by chegg.org, about 77% students revealed that pandemic and lockdown ruined their lives, which was highest amongst the 21 countries surveyed.
29 April, 2022
Fastrack, a youth fashion and Tech brand has collaborated with Yuvaa, a youth media organization and Artidote, a platform for discussing emotions with art, to launch Unwind.
"As a brand for the youth Fastrack has always been concerned with the issues relevant to their audiences. The role of the brand has been to validate the experiences of the youth of today, the Gen Z, and be their ally in their explorations, concerns, and celebrations. Therefore, through Fastrack Unwind we present a safe and open space with the help of experts and partnerships to achieve the goal of making Mental Health Resources accessible to the youth of this country. With Unwind we introduce a mental health pitstop, a one-stop repository which becomes a space for conversations, resources, and community.", shares Ajay Maurya, Marketing head, Fastrack.
28 April, 2022
New evidence links exposure of greenspace in a residential environment to be beneficial for mental health and overall cognitive function.
"Some of the primary ways that nature may improve health is by helping people recover from psychological stress and by encouraging people to be outside socializing with friends, both of which boost mental health. This study is among the few to provide evidence that greenspace may benefit cognitive function in older ages. Our findings suggest that greenspace should be investigated as a potential population-level approach to improve cognitive function.", says Dr. Marcia Pescador Jimenez, study lead and corresponding author, assistant professor of epidemiology at BUSPH.
27 April, 2022
Actor Pracheen Chauhan, known for his work in "Shaadi Mubarak" is a fitness buff and loves to work through in gyms and swimming pools, saying that staying physically fit is proving good for his mind.
However, lately Pracheen is keenly interested in spirituality, saying that it encourages positive mental wellbeing and peace of mind.
26 April, 2022
In India, Sangath and Pro Sport Development are taking an athletic approach to prevent substance abuse amongst people.
Sangath's addiction research group works with adolescents to prevent initiation of substance use for betterment of mental health and wellbeing.
25 April, 2022
MRI machine was installed at Dharwad Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (DIMHANS) after the deadlines for installation was met upon court orders.
The MRI machine is a basic diagnostic equipment that will be used in neuro-diagnosis of various disorders and will enhance the hospital's overall service capacity.
23 April, 2022
Curated by the Science gallery of Bengaluru, PSYCHE, explores the history of mental health in India while debating the questions that concern the mind.
Besides 10 exhibits, it has live workshops, masterclasses, seminars and lectures for everyone to attend thst may get overwhelming for anyone who attends.
22 April, 2022
Summer anxiety is faced by a vast number of people causing instant fatigue and tiredness leading to lethargy and energy loss for prolonged periods.
Summer anxiety can be managed with few simple steps that include prioritizing sleep, staying indoors during afternoons, protecting the eyes, taking small breaks and consuming body cooling diets.
21 April, 2022
A health conscious person is concerned about his or her body while health obsessed person is overboard with the idea.
If maintaining your health causes anxiety to you then you may be obsessed with your health to an extent where it may be harmful for you.
In cases of health obsession, there may be no satisfactory health target or any achievable aim that one may feel happy with causing them to overwork their diet and exercise regimen, harming the body and lack of satisfaction, tantalizing the mind.
20 April, 2022
With the nation returning back to almost pre-covid stage, companies are trying to bend a few rules to reel the employees in back to office.
With covering of commuting costs to dropping of formal attires, organizations are making moves that would ensure certain work level comfort for their employees.
For some, who had relocated back to their hometowns during pandemic, returning to cities has been difficult. Employees with small children will have to readjust as the little ones have gotten into the habit of staying with their parents full time.
19 April, 2022
A country that had been struggling with civil war for over two and a half decades, a major tsunami impact and now major financial breakdown, Sri Lanka has serious environmental factors that contribute to depression in the country.
“The study shows that depression is associated with the quality of life in several domains such as general health, fatigue, social functioning, and others,” Datta explained, senior consultant psychiatrist, Tata Medical Center, Kolkata.
18 April, 2022
The transition from home bound studying and back to schools is turning out to be difficult for kids than expected. Teachers and mental health experts are observing behavioural disturbances in kids.
“Teachers said that after returning to school, children are finding it difficult to sit in class, something they had no problem doing prior to the lockdown,” says vice-president of the Psychiatric Society of Goa, Dr Ravindra Agrawal.
16 April, 2022
The deaddiction centers present at border areas of Punjab have created a mark for concern.
The recent fleeing of 19 inmates after thrashing of the staff has brought the light upon inept management.
The Himachal Pradesh State Mental Health Authority, which registers such centres, has laid down norms for operating such centres.
They are supposed to fulfil minimum standards for infrastructure and manpower and also meet the criteria of the Rehabilitation Council of India and WHO-recommended treatment protocols.
The centres are supposed to have 75-100 square feet area per person, facility for sports, yoga and meditation, qualified staff and medical officer or psychiatrists on call, among other key amenities.
15 April, 2022
Close to 1 billion people are going through some form of a mental health issue.
Through QualityRights initiative, WHO wishes to aid and help government's and policy makers formulate mental health systems based on recovery, rights and inclusion.
At the launch, 30,000 people have completed the training and it is projected that 1 million people would have completed the training by 2024.
14 April, 2022
Human rights commission has ordered a probe in Peroorkada mental health hospital.
HRC found lack of basic facilities, about 702 inmates were squeezed into cells with 530 beds. Over 200 inmates were forced to sleep on floor and the cells had inadequate fresh air and light.
13 April, 2022
A LinkedIn survey has revealed that 70% women quit or considered quitting their jobs due to lack of flexible options offered by their organizations during the pandemic.
Survey was based on 2266 respondents said that their employer had poor sentiments towards flexible working. Nearly 9 put of 10 women had to take pay cuts to work flexibly while 37% were denied the opportunity altogether.
12 April, 2022
PGIMER is now one of the 147 collaborating centers from 121 countries all over over the world. It is now the second such collaborating society in India, the other one being NIMHANS.
WPA will support PGIMER in developing, delivering, and sharing educational, research and publications expertise and resources and policy and practice developments in the field of psychiatry.
11 April, 2022
The research was published in the journal "Psychological Bulletin", the rising expectation of parents and criticism are damaging the mental health of the students.
Researchers analysed over 20,000 students and found that the expectations have risen over the last 32 years leading to a need of perfectionism amongst children.
9 April, 2022
Probably not to many people's liking but the potato wafers can prove to harmful towards mental health as much as physical health.
In addition to weight gain, increased carcinogenic intakes, potato wafers tend to spike the blood pressure that can cause hypertension in the body.
The excessive amounts of transfat in the body can lead to depression and lethargy.
8 April, 2022
Muskurayega India is an initiative by NSS and UNICEF conceptualized in April, 2020 for mental wellbeing of students.
As of today, 120 active, committed and trained teachers contribute as Muskurayega India counsellors.
The KKC centre will ensure that psychological counseling and good mental health promotion are in play for the students that will also be open for all youth as mentioned by Amit Mehrotra, the UNICEF field officer for Uttar Pradesh, India.
7 April, 2022
The potential for abuse and addiction is way lower in cannabinoids as opposed to other medications such as Opioids and steroids for anti-anxiety functions.
Use of cannabionoids is not recognized by IRDA, causing it to be not covered under the insurance.
Currently cannabinoids are priced much higher as compared to generic allopathic medicines used in India.
6 April, 2022
About 1-1.5% of children between ages 2 and 9 are affected by Autism bringing the number to 1.8 crore (18 million).Every year, about 10% of school children are identified to be having learning disability.
Dr. Gauri Agarwal, Founder & Director, Genestrings Diagnostics and Seeds of Innocence said “Researchers are currently striving to find a cure for this disease, however genetic testing for people with ASD is now being requested by developmental paediatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists, and other specialists, as well as primary care doctors. ASD is a complex condition for which genomic testing can give patients, families, and healthcare providers valuable clinical information. Whole Genome Sequencing will go hand-in-hand with microarrays as the standard of care genomic test for ASD in the not-too-distant future.”
5 April, 2022
Teachers in United States are observing a rise in students' turmoil. Children who were lively are now finding themselves to be under the weather.
For some students, distance education made them distant with their friends and situations overwhelming at home to an extent where students thought their world was ending and had plans to end their lives too.
Considering the warning signs, the teachers are now being trained by mental health professionals especially in remote and inaccessible areas where the first touch point for any student to have some comfort would be in school.
4 April, 2022
In the year 2020, India saw a total of 1.53 lakh reported suicides as per National Crime Records Bureau. That is an average of 418 incidents daily. The percentage of suicidal incidents have been highest ever in the India and most in the world.
This drastic increase in 2020 and continual figures indicated certain stressful factors of joblessness, depression, isolation, inability to access opportunities have been in play and need to be addressed at the earliest.
2 April, 2022
Life in the later stages, post retirement is tough to grasp for the "once-young" body and mind. Yoga, however, has proven to be a fine booster for maintaining and leading a finer lifestyle in terms of health and energy.
Suryanamaskar, yoga mudra, pranayam and meditation are proving to be an incubator to manage high energies, improved concentration, focus and memory.
1 April, 2022
A recent study titled 'How a 7 week food literacy program affects cooking confidence and mental health' that was conducted in Edith Cowan University in Australia concludes that being confident in the kitchen is not just good for your taste buds but also, for your mental health.
657 participants took the healthy cooking course and ECU Institute found programs effect of healthy cooking over their kitchen confidence, satisfaction with diet related behaviours and cooking.
31 March, 2022
Dr. Archana Sharma, a Rajasthan based gynecologist, chose to end her life owing to an FIR booked by family of the deceased woman who died during normal procedure and a rare medical complication.
She wrote in her note to not harass any doctors for the work they do. As per a survey, about 75% of doctors gave verbal abuse at their workplaces.
30 March, 2022
Study conducted by NIMHANS in 2016 suggested that occurrence of depressive disorders in adults is at 2.7%. Last Tuesday, the Union Health Minister brought this to light and wrote a written response.
The health minister has stressed on how depressive disorders are a cause and catalyst of various other disorders and insists on pushing the National and District mental health programs at the earliest.
NMHP has been sanctioned for 704 districts of the country.
29 March, 2022
Neerja Birla, founder of MPower shared that out of the entire crux of callers, men comprise of 80% of that.
Speaking at the 'Ideas of India' summit, Neerja highlighted the progress in terms of mental wellness starting with Mental Healthcare Act of 2017, decriminalizing of suicide and how individual awareness has been on a rise by the day.
28 March, 2022
Pandemic has brought in a rising awareness for the need of health insurance especially amongst the youngsters who look for sizeable insured amount of all inclusive 15-20 lakhs.
Wherein there is considerable awareness for various ailments amongst people, the mental health factor and its insurance need is yet to create a mark in the society.
26 March, 2022
Yo-Yo tests are selection procedures that are designed to shortlist the top 15 players who play for the team.
Lately, more number of players had to be sitting outside due to failures.
BCCI has made it clear that those who fail the test, may not appear in IPL, while they have not made the test harder, it still is challenging for the players.
Currently, the bigger mental health challenge for the players has been the bio-bubble.
25 March, 2022
The onset of pandemic brought a shift in online and telepsychiatry services with its rise due to limitations in movement. This in turn has now brought convenience in terms of saving travel time and maintaining anonymity and ease of making conversations.
"However, there is still a long way to go for the stigma to disappear totally from society. Tele-consultation has now been embraced by many patients as it allows them to ventilate their emotions in a convenient setting. They feel much safer and comfortable to uncork their welled-up emotions through the platform," observes Dr Deepak, founder and director, Hope Care.
24 March, 2022
GOQii survey revealed that 30% people remain stressed and hopeless on a few days as compared to last year's survey where 43% Indians suffered in the lockdown period.
In a positive news, the stress statistics have come down by 32% in comparison with the year 2020 when the pandemic stress was high as well.
23 March, 2022
WHO in collaboration with the Greek Government launched a quality mental health program for children and adolescents of 53 countries. It also marked the launch of Athens quality care office.
Around 4000 suicides had occurred in the age group of 10-19 year olds in the region for the year of 2015.
The program will primarily help children affected due to pandemic and by extension, children affected due to Ukraine-Russia war.
22 March, 2022
The soaring temperatures in Bihar is bringing in this year a new paramount to various diseases like dysentery, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, rhitis, skin diseases, asthma and other allergies.
The increase in cases is sudden and and to a high extent this year causing a lot of physical and mental trauma to the population.
21 March, 2022
As per government data of 2022, 'Prison Statistics India' suggested that 7524 prisoners were having mental health issues. Out of 1887 prisoners who died that year, 189 were victims of death due to unnatural causes and 156 inmates died by suicide.
The number of hospital visits were also higher for inmates in 2020 than previous years.
19 March, 2022
In a survey conducted by AIG hospitals, about 47% Indians were found to be suffering from lack of sleep causing a big impact on their lives.
Dr. Kishore says that there are three maine components of sleep - depth, duration and continuity. These three factors determine for an individual the quality of rest they receive that enhances body's restorative function.
Lack of sleep is known to be triggering heart diseases, neurological issues, memory loss, weight gain, behavioral issues and more.
18 March, 2022
In Japan, there is a term for a type of death called 'Karoshi' that translates to 'overwork death'.
Various countries, including India, has a very prominent existence of workplace stress that is shoved under the carpet just as well.
The taboo that doesn't encourage people to reach out to mental health experts and for the ones who do, doing it with a disguise as to not to be recognised by family members and be branded with a 'mental disorder', is a deep seated problem.
17 March, 2022
A fresh batch of 33 first aid providing counsellors were inducted for Delhi Jails. 19 of them would be stationed at Tihar.
These counsellors help in managing stress for inmates and helping them adjust to the prison life.
Psychological first aid proves instrumental for prisoners as they are much prone to outbursts and self harm.
16 March, 2022
Bournvita, along with Yellow.ai's automation reached 1.5 million people through WhatsApp chatbot in its first ever digital campaign for children called "GetTheMessage"
“Children constitute over one-third of India’s population. Over five crore children are suffering from some or other mental health issues. However, mental illness is considered as taboo. Besides, access to professionally trained mental health experts treatment is little,” Desireddy explained, client partner of Bournvita.
15 March, 2022
The state of the natural world has become a worry and it's affecting the mental health of the people. The climate changes are bound to happen for a long time into the future and eco-grief is here to stay.
Eco-grief can feel almost as bad as loss of a loved one and may need similar course of therapy for coping with the issue. However, eco-grief may not have a similar public acknowledgement as any other.
14 March, 2022
Yuvaan Bag said in the first all India Transmen and Transmasculine Persons Summit, how once his FIR was not listed under transmen category and would be listed under either male or a female while the police would refuse to accept any of his documents as well.
“The misrepresentation and lack of a community historically has led to issues of transmen being invisible and lack of platforms for representation. They don’t get enough representation in solution-building with NGOs or in policy building with the government systems,” stated TWEET, an organisation working towards empowering transmit leadership.
12 March, 2022
The fast moving news over today's digital world and ever morphing scenarios that are broadcasted with seconds of accuracy often causes our minds to think if the world is falling apart.
The worsening situation of the world along with one's anxiety becomes the reason for being attached to the broadcasts and seek out the "bad news" that in turn affects the mental health.
Stated by a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic, Dr Elena Touroni, ‘doomscrolling’ is the “fascination of the human experience, including the more evil sides of human nature”.
11 March, 2022
Non-invasive micro-stimulation treatments have always been used to treat certain extreme degrees of mental illnesses. Despite its unpopularity, electro-convolusive therapy (ECT) was frequented traditionally to treat most of the patients. Its adverse effects on memory and cognition, however, were too difficult to handle.
However, the idea paved way for modern therapies like trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), Psychedelic supporting mental illness therapy and digital tools for tracking mental activity.
10 March, 2022
India has a population of 120 million smokers that contribute to 12% of the world's smokers.
While smokers believe that smoking helps in coping with stress, on the contrary, nicotine enhances the feeling of anxiety or make them worse.
A study in journal of Cochrane library shows that people who quit smoking for 6 weeks showed fewer signs of anxiety and were less prone to depression to those who continued the habit.
9 March, 2022
Cocoa is associated with many physical benefits including better blood flow, low blood pressure, improved cholesterol, weight loss and low blood sugar levels.
Along with its nutrient boosting abilities, being rich in flavanol, having anti-oxidant effect, Cocoa is also known to be having mood uplifting effect and increased cognition that leads to a happier self.
8 March, 2022
On March 7, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi inaugurated 20 "Aam Aadmi School Clinics" in government schools for physical and mental well being of the students.
"The Aam Aadmi School Clinics are an extension of Mohalla Clinics and have been started with the aim of providing biannual health checkups to our school students. Apart from this, for the first time, the focus will be laid on mental well-being along with physical health. A healthy mind will contribute to a healthy society and ultimately a healthier nation," Sisodia said at the event.
"Having a psychologist is one of the biggest steps because it will be an addition to our happiness curriculum," the deputy chief minister added.
7 March, 2022
Times of India has taken a step ahead to cover its readers with advices from experts about the issues that they face in day-to-day life.
The most recent issues have come around to be about job losses and financial stress majorly due to pandemic.
To reach out, one can mail on talkitout@timesgroup.com
5 March, 2022
The Adolescent Mental Health Academy, UNICEF Gujarat Youth Forum and Elixir Foundation organized #mentalhealthmatters a day long session on mindfulness and wellbeing with the experts on February 20.
The session comprised of various workshops by experts focusing on healthy interactions, creating mental health ecosystem and troubles faced by adolescents and teenagers and how they can channelize the energy positively.
Pandemic related mental health workshops were taken too as the children had to switch from offline to online classes and adjust quickly with no prior guidance.
4 March, 2022
A coalition of state attorneys from California, Kentucky, Florid and more are investigating the effects of TikTok on kids.
According to a news release from Massachusettes attorney journal, the AG Group is looking to see if the platform's algorithm is designed to have a negative effect on its young users.
3 March, 2022
Women and Child Development Ministry launched the 'Stree Manoraksha Project' in collaboration with NIMHANS, Bengaluru.
The project will aim at improving the mental health of women by creating one-stop centers for women, especially for those who go through abuse.
The one-stop centers did well during the pandemic and about 700 centers were set up during this time.
2 March, 2022
Psoriasis has a negative effect on quality of life that hampers mental health to a great extent. The social stigma and discrimination due to disease adds to the trauma for a person.
About 30% of psoriasis patients have psychological disorders and often, that becomes the trigger for the disease flaring in itself.
Holistic management allows patient to lead a healthier life while being treated for co-morbidity with the likes of the depression.
1 March, 2022
Krishna Veer Singh, the co-founder, mentions that the purpose of LISSUN was to break the taboo and create awareness in the country. Being born and brought up in the city of Muzzafarnagar of Uttar Pradesh, he mentions that this was the right time time go phygital.
Dr. Preeti Singh, CMO for LISSUN, says that offline was a great initiative as sole online wouldn't have survived.
The initiative also follows the recent tele mental health announcement made in Union Budget of 2022.
28 February, 2022
India accounts for 20% of suicide cases globally. Among the different age groups, the highest prone range seems to be in youngsters and people aged 70 years or more.
The lack of data about cases of suicides or attempted suicides do not contribute much to creating policies for prevention and further action. The myth that they cannot be prevented, that the occurrence is bound to happen, becomes a wary excuse for not taking a rightful action
26 February, 2022
Indian PM's vision for Holistic healthcare gets a boost with advancements in telemedicine and digitization and integration of various Health avenues and platforms.
The allocation and priority of these platforms and avenues depend on the bracket of budget sanctioned for healthcare and cascading within the different branches of healthcare.
There is a 16.4% rise in healthcare budget in 2022-23 financial year in comparison with the last.
25 February, 2022
Observation goes that on extremely hot summer days, people visit the emergency rooms more than usual for panic attacks, anxiety, stress, substance use and more.
According to a new research by Boston University, extreme heat and daily rising ambient temperature leads to certain mood and stress disorders. In cases like these, an anticipatory rise in needing of mental health services, like during heat waves, can help prepare the emergency services in advance.
24 February, 2022
A new research from Massachusettes suggests that people who have steered clear from being infected in the pandemic, may still have brain inflammation due to pandemic stress.
The researchers conducted behavior analysis, collected blood samples and scanned brain images of volunteers, before and after the lockdown period of uninfected people and found neuroinflammaton markers present in post pandemic data.
The volunteers also showed more fatigue and tiredness as compared to those who did not show the brain inflammation.
23 February, 2022
Indian workplace bullying is full of micro-managing bosses, difficult to work with managers and unprofessional colleagues. While not all workplaces consist of all elements, the overall environment makes it toxic, almost harassing and bullying in nature.
A survey conducted in 2017, showed that 46% of employees were not happy with their workplace environment.
Workplace Bullying Institute(WBI) founded in the USA in 1997, helps the bullied employees and helps them deal with the difficult colleagues in the workplaces.
22 February, 2022
Cost of living and inflation has been at its all time high all over the world that puts the population at the economical tail end at a very uncertain position every year.
The continual rise of prices deepens the economic inequality and fuels stress, strained family dynamics and health that comes along with financial issues.
21 February, 2022
The presence of influencers on social media, not having an educational background or training in therapeutic measures often flies in the face of the professionals that creates another hurdle to be overcomed for a breakthrough therapy.
Social media influencers may not all be correct and personal experience may not account for as a generalized approach of therapy for all individuals.
Lack of realistic responsibility often gets lost during self-proclaimed preaching over social media and hampers therapy process.
19 February, 2022
With Facebook and Instagram having 97.2 million (9.7 crore) and 69 million (6.9 crore) users respectively between the age groups 18-24 in India having an average usage of 2.4 hours of just social media daily, is not tipping any favors over their mental health.
Fueling issues of body dysmorphia, bulimia and various set lifestyle expectations that may not be at hand with everyone immediately, is propelling a wave of depression among young adults and pre-teens.
Regulation of content and limited consumption may be a way forward for safe usage of social media, however, is as difficult to achieve at the same time.
18 February, 2022
According to a Lancet study, about 27% of women, aged 15-49, face violence of physical, sexual or both forms from their spouse or partner.
The violence starts early, about 24% are aged 15-19 while 26% are aged 19-24. The study found a geographical variation in existence of abuse where violence was much more prevalent in low income countries than high income ones.
17 February, 2022
Krishna Veer, director and co-founder, Lissun, says that the challenge in the country of India to provide a mental health service is summarized in six As: awareness, acceptance, anonymity, access, affordability and assurance.
Due to low number of psychologists and psychiatrists in the country, the delivery period of the service is quite low and causes the service to be inaccessible and unaffordable for most of the population.
16 February, 2022
Deepti Sherawat, a certified nutritionist, suggests superfoods that can help one calm down and activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
Amongst many choices, Ashwagandha, Valerian root powder and desi ghee become the top three as superfoods to lower anxiety.
However, it is recommended to see an expert in case one feels anxious a lot and the choice of superfoods may be supplementary to the calming process.
15 February, 2022
Amidst the hijab vs. saffron shawl row, the attention towards resolving issues for children's mental health learning disability is lost, on the contrary, adding much to their existing issues.
In 2018, 50,876 students appeared for CBSE 12th standard exams in the Northeast, amongst which only 4 were diagnosed with learning disabilities. About 2500 were undiagnosed or went unnoticed.
The standard identification rate of learning disability amongst children appearing for exams have been 0.08% and from the total number of children who appeared for the board exams(10th and 12th), the undiagnosed in the year 2018 were 1,37,000.
14 February, 2022
A PIL has been been sought to create a mental health authority in the state. The HC has directed the chief secretary to work towards establishing a functional mental health authority in the state upon which no work has commenced since 2020, wherein only a print announcement was made.
"Shockingly, as is now evident from the affidavit filed by the state, the said authority has yet not been constituted....we are constrained to direct the Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar, to forthwith take all steps ensuring establishment of the authority as stipulated under Section-45 of the Act," the bench said in its order on February 10.
12 February, 2022
Gautam Sawang launched 'Voice that cares' a psycho-social first aid helpline offered by Heartfupness Institute and Ripple of Change Foundation.
The helpline is launched in Telugu in collaboration with the police department.
11 February, 2022
Unemployment has been the social enemy for quite a long time with many contributing factors like unskilled labour, low economy, high population density among many others causing the job availability to be scarce.
Between 2018 and 2020, data shows that 9140 people committed suicide due to unemployment while 16,091 committed suicide due to bankruptcy or indebtedness.
10 February, 2022
Holistic therapy is picking up and is on the rise, claiming and showing benefit towards physical, mental and spiritual issues for a person.
The Holistic approach addresses collateral problems in a person. Example, if a person has PTSD(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) then they may also show physical symptoms like tiredness or loss of appetite along with being emotionally drained. A Holistic therapy can address all the issues at the same time.
“The pandemic has played a huge role in everyone’s self-awareness around overall health,” says Lenaya Smith Crawford, a Holistic Therapist. "It’s increased the understanding that your health is more than just physical or mental, but an inclusion of all layers of self.”
9 February, 2022
Study reveals that maintaining too many friendships may get taxing for one's mental health. Fulfilling commitments all the time doesn't leave one with enough time for themselves.
The pile of many expectations and the need to fulfil all of them is always on a rise leading to half baked friendships, meeting fake people, even causing one to feel lonely despite being around people.
8 February, 2022
As the world children mental health week began on 7th of February, we take into consideration the role of Bollywood in shaping and addressing the mental health issue for the young ones.
While movies like 'Judgementall hai kya', 'Dear Zindagi' and 'Taare Zameen Par' bring out the issues in a relatively direct manner, there are movies that touch or incorporate the moral of mental wellbeing.
Overall, a well written and shot movie may be a good source to instil thought of mental wellbeing amongst unaware masses, adults and children alike.
7 February, 2022
The disease of cancers brings about tremendous amounts of emotional and psychological distress because of its perception of incurability.
According to statistics, about 92% of patients go through stress in the time of treatment and the right kind of psychological education can help restore the quality of life and better response to the ongoing treatment.
5 February, 2022
About 200 Opioid Assisted Treatment Clinics were set up that were to provide free treatment to the addicts. Because of shortage of psychiatrists, government deployed MBBS doctors to run these clinics.
After much deliberation, Buprenorphin was used to treat the addiction patients with certain take home dosage prescribed. This proved as a double edged sword as the drug taken in moderation works well, while has negative effects when taken in excess.
The regulation of the drug and price capping was not done strategically leading to mass distribution of the drug without much deliberation has caused chaos in the deaddiction paradigm.
4 February, 2022
2 out of 3 queer individuals face anxiety and mental health issues, mostly concerning with the process of coming out. Letting people know can be overwhelming and is often very difficult to do so even to family or friends.
General awareness in these cases can really be helpful for the queer individuals for it shall make the process and the talk easier. There are a lot of people who are coming out to therapists before they speak to their close, loved ones.
3 February, 2022
In Maharashtra, the data between January 2016 until September 2021 shows 5,877 patients from four regional mental health centers, Pune, Thane, Raigad and Nagpur have been abandoned by their families.
“We get around 1,400 admissions annually, of which one-third are abandoned. These patients can be classified in two categories — those who are left by their families and the others are ‘unknown’, with no families, who are rescued by police or social workers,” said senior psychiatrist Dr Praveen Navkhare from Nagpur Government Regional Mental Hospital.
2 February, 2022
The new budget was rolled out by the finance minister of India that allocates budget for 23 tele-mental health centers with centers of excellence of NIMHANS. The project will be supported from tech end by IIT, Bengaluru.
“An open platform for the national digital health ecosystem will be rolled out,” the finance minister also added. “It will consist of digital registries of health providers and health facilities, consent framework and universal access to health facilities.”
1 February, 2022
The new variant has brought another series of restrictions in the nation and the valley of Kashmir is witnessing a tough face of the new wave.
Since the tele-consultations have begun, Dr. Umar Jan says he has received 100-150 calls in a day and numerous messages as well with different concerning mental health problems.
“We are again heading towards an unpredictable situation. The fear is being induced again. This variant is one more jolt to the existing pool of mental health burden people are going through. It's adding to the fatigue level of people. People were trying to create and adjust according to the ‘covid being around lifestyle’ but now again they are on square one,” said Dr Yasir Hassan Rather, Assistant Professor at Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (IMHANS) in Srinagar.
31 January, 2022
As per a survey by NIMHANS, 80% of those who suffer mental health issues, do not have access to mental health services that there is a huge gap between need of the services and the number of providers.
"I think the way forward is that mental health should become like any other health condition. So it should be an integral part of the primary health system. So, unless mental health and treatment recognition, treatment, and services for mental health issues are provided at the primary health care level, we will continue to face a gap," says Dr Lakshmi Vijaykumar, Consultant Psychiatrist, Founder of Sneha, and Head of the Psychiatry Department at Voluntary Hill Services.
29 January, 2022
Karnataka has launched the 'Brain Health Initiative', a unique programme, undertaken by NIMHANS in association with Niti Aayog in the state.
Under this programme, the doctors will be trained in screening and treating mental health patients. The initiative is being rolled out in Bengaluru, Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts on a pilot basis.
"Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, our government has been helping people to cope with mental health issues in association with NIMHANS. Since mental health has a bearing on the individual's physical health and overall wellness, we need to ensure that everyone is aware of mental health issues. NIMHANS is doing an excellent job in taking mental healthcare to the people. We have conducted thousands of mental health counselling sessions with COVID-19 infected persons and their family members. Under this Brain Health Initiative, even general physicians will be trained on mental healthcare," Minister for Health K. Sudhakar said.
28 January, 2022
The state government has launched the helplines under the district mental health program with the Mental Health Institute of SVB Medical College and Institute. With the help of psychological experts, the helplines will provide first aid for mental health via three helpline numbers.
“These helpline numbers will be functional from 10am to 5pm between Monday and Saturday. Each district has mental health professionals to resolve issues of people suffering from mental health problems. They can also take help from MHI,” an official said.
27 January, 2022
Puhabi, a class X student in Agartala has designed two AI apps, AthleteX and Spirometer, the latter would help athletes track their lung capacity through spirometry and help them perform better through detecting injury and mental health detection scans via AtheleteX.
Puhabi Chakroborty was awarded Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar.
26 January, 2022
The pandemic unstoppered a section of grief and bereavement that the society as a whole was not very prepared for. From situations like patients unaccompanied by families to no visits during hospitalization and deprivement of last rites, a lot has contributed towards untimely losses and disrupted grief cycle.
The lack of professionals and practitioners in the sector of mental health and its current overload needs to be addressed, starting with center's move to increase the allocated budget towards mental health.
25 January, 2022
Therapies including Yoga, omega-3 intake, cranial electrotherapy stimulaton (CES), Kava Kava therapy, Animal therapy and S-adenosyl methionine to name them are moving towards prescription based therapies.
Experts and doctors are turning to these alternate methods in cases where traditional ways do not show appreciable improvements. These methods are yet to be proven on the table to be considered as mainstream treatment modalities.
24 January, 2022
In a generation in India where it was seeped in that if one has food, clothing and shelter and otherwise are physically fine, they are okay. This generation was taught to deal with their mental health on their own, in silence.
The awareness of the parents to both express and understand the factor of anxiety in themselves and their children is a much needed societal move. Most Indian parents still consider the presence of mental health a taboo and a reason of public disgrace, due to which they wish to curb the cause as they probably did for themselves.
22 January, 2022
The exit of Simone Biles from Olympics citing the reason of her mental wellbeing marked a historic move in the athletics world. Her exit, however, was well received by the federation.
In the Indian scenario, the one name that comes forward for voicing mental health reasons is Vinesh Phogat, however, her expression may not be well received as she understands it well herself.
“Itna bolna matlab aap ke liye sports khatam hi samjho (that would be as good as ending my sporting career),” Phogat says over the phone. “Federations or people in the system will be the first ones to say, ‘why did you send this person if they are not mentally strong?’ They will not understand. Moreover, they will not even let you participate in the next tournament. They will say you are not in the right frame of mind.”
21 January, 2022
NEURIA seeks to support patients living with mental diseases to enjoy a better quality of life by providing individualized information on their options for treatments, clinical trials, and experts.
By offering access to the most recent, accurate, and tailored information, NEURIA wants to prepare patients to lead more effective conversations with physicians and consider different treatment options as well as participation in clinical trials.
20 January, 2022
Reality shows like Bigg Boss are proving to be taking a toll on the mental health of contestants and audiences alike. While the conjugation of emotions can be seen for the contestants on the TV screens, what the audiences may retain out of that has its own undue effect.
With certain contestants speaking with knives in their hands to violence to unwarranted behaviour is often cited as outbursts that come with the environment of the reality shows, something that no individual is primarily equipped to handle.
19 January, 2022
Padmashree Dr. Alka Kriplani, Director and Head-Centre for Minimally Invasive Gynecology, Obstetrics and ART at Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon, suggests various mental health implications of PCOS including anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, bulimia, eating disorders and somatizations.
Studies suggest that 60% of women with PCOS may be suffering from some form of mental disorder. The recent study suggests high risk of Bipolar Disorder. Although, what causes for the condition to develop is yet to be known, so far, it is rather considered as a coping mechanism response towards PCOS.
18 January, 2022
According to the survey done by UNICEF, 41% of youngsters (15-24) believe that getting a mental health support could be good compared to the global average of 83%.
The stigma and taboo is such that youngsters do not wish to open up to the professionals about the problems.
Also, the budget allocation for mental health has been decreasing. From 0.44% in 2010, the allocated budget has come down to 0.06% in 2020.
17 January, 2022
According to a new study, transgender kids who start hormone therapy early have a better response and lead a much wholesome life in terms of mental health as compared to those who start the therapy in adulthood.
The key component here is early requirement and identification of the need of therapy that can lead to better lifestyle.
15 January, 2022
Christiana Cruz, MD in the department UNC department of Psychiatry has suggested how educational infrastructure with the help of teachers can bring the necessary change in maintaining mental health therapy for low and medium income countries.
The study took place in Darjeeling with 19 teachers and 36 students in five rural elementary schools. The study suggested that teachers can impact behaviour and child development through consistent effort and mental health needs in real time.
14 January, 2022
As the pandemic scare spikes, so does the need of mental health. The state of Utah in the United States of America also witnesses a growth in substance abuse while one of the experts urges for a free mental health service during this time.
The SafeUT App connects the students and teachers to counsellors who need immediate mental health attention.
13 January, 2022
Dr. Dalbir Singh, president of policymakers Forum of mental health pointed out that India has shortage of experts and concept of mental health is missing from primary healthcare environment.
On an average, India has seen the cumulative number of suicides to be around 2,10,000 each year, roughly translating to almost 700 everyday. Statistics also say that for every life that is taken, there are 15 to 20 more attempts as well.
12 January, 2022
National Crime Records Bureau released a rather shocking data for the year of 2020 where almost 31 children were found to be ending their own loves everyday for the year of 2020. From 2017 to 2019, a total of 24,000 children between the ages 14 and 18 committed suicide and 54% of them were girls.
“In a country like ours, where there are substantially more suicide deaths each year than AIDS-related deaths and maternal deaths (45,000) combined, suicide prevention has attracted considerably less public health attention. Nonetheless, a public health approach to suicide prevention is gaining momentum in India," reads a study by the medical journal The Lancet.
A hope comes in the the form of pedagogical learning model Social, Emotional and Ethical (SEE) Learning, developed in the US by Emory University in collaboration with Dalai Lama.
11 January, 2022
Department Of Education, AMU, Malappuram Centre in collaboration with Department Of Education, University of Kerala recently organised a two day International Conference on the theme “Discoursing Education for Mental Health”.
The conference included 6 Plenary sessions and 5 technical sessions with speakers from all over the world with about 125 participants present in each session.
10 January, 2022
Roshni Trust, on Saturday, marked 24 years of its service and launched a new initiative "Psychiatry at your doorstep."
Actress Samantha Prabhu, designer Shilpa Reddy and Mahima Datla, CEO Biological-E were present at the launch.
“The mission of the trust is to make psychiatric treatment available to most. Because of cost, coverage and social stigma, most people do not receive treatment, and for some it is inaccessible. We want to break this barrier,” said Shashi Reddy, founder, Roshni Trust.
8 January, 2022
San Fransicso based PsyMed ventures announced a $25M funding for start ups researching and working on psychedelics for mental ailments.
"We’re very aware of the limitations that a scheduled drug such as psilocybin, or MDMA, or ketamine pose in terms of investment and coming to market. With that in mind, … we look at the medical model, not the recreational model. … We invest in companies that would be developing a drug that would go through the FDA approval process, and that’s similar to any other biotech company that’s developing a molecule in oncology or cardiology." says Burkitbayeva, one of the three PsyMed founders.
7 January, 2022
IMA suggests to limit the work hours of resident doctors on COVID duty to ensure that they do not have a burn out and the task is not heavy on mental health.
According to the IMA, "In the event of COVID duty doctors becoming ill, they should be admitted to government/private hospital at the earliest and in case of untimely death, the status of COVID martyr and compensation as well as casewise assistance should be arranged."
6 January, 2022
Evolve App, founded by Anshul Kamath, is on a mission to make mental health safe, simple and joyful. After getting diagnosed with an auto-immune disease, Kamath realized the importance of managing the mental health of self.
"We are extremely grateful to each one of you for making our first year so memorable. All your love, support & honest feedback has helped shape Evolve into an award-winning app! We promise to continue enhancing our product and give you the best and safest experience to work on your mental health and wellbeing holistically.", says Kamath.
5 December, 2022
Mann, a mental health campaign launched by students of IIT-M as a part of their annual cultural festival, Sarang has reached over 75,000 people in over 3 months.
Tha campaign focused on destigmatizing psychological problems and created a platform that is a one stop solution for mental health issues.
4 January, 2022
American center and Lead India have come together to organize workshops on mental health for adolescents in Jammu region.
The participants learnt about self introspection, emotional wellbeing, positive self image, self acceptance, joyful living, cultivating gratitude and non- violent expression through experiential and interactive fun activities.