Today, October 10, 2022, is World Mental Health Day
The World Health Organisation says: Whilst the pandemic has, and continues to, take its toll on our mental health, the ability to reconnect through World Mental Health Day 2022 will provide us with an opportunity to re-kindle our efforts to protect and improve mental health.
Many aspects of mental health have been challenged; and already before the pandemic in 2019 an estimated one in eight people globally were living with a mental disorder. At the same time, the services, skills and funding available for mental health remain in short supply, and fall far below what is needed, especially in low and middle income countries.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a global crisis for mental health, fueling short- and long-term stresses and undermining the mental health of millions. Estimates put the rise in both anxiety and depressive disorders at more than 25% during the first year of the pandemic. At the same time, mental health services have been severely disrupted and the treatment gap for mental health conditions has widened.
Growing social and economic inequalities, protracted conflicts, violence and public health emergencies affect whole populations, threatening progress towards improved well-being; a staggering 84 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced during 2021. We must deepen the value and commitment we give to mental health as individuals, communities and governments and match that value with more commitment, engagement and investment by all stakeholders, across all sectors. We must strengthen mental health care so that the full spectrum of mental health needs is met through a community-based network of accessible, affordable and quality services and supports.
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Here is a link to WHO's 2022 World Mental Health Report
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India mental health facts:
-14 percent of the population in India is estimated to be suffering from mental disorders
-$1Trillion USD lost arising out of mental health conditions in India between 2012 and 203
Less than 70% of the general public in India associate mental health with “stigma” according to a study
-Approximately 0.75 psychiatrists are available per 100,000 population
-There are around 0.07 Psychologists/social workers available per 100,000 people in India versus more than 30 in the US
Less than 0.1% Mental health allocation in the health budget over the last five years vs. approximately 5 percent allocation in developed countries (Source Deloitte report “Life Sciences in Healthcare”)
Indian initiatives on mental health
LISSUN- a start-up offering end-to-end mental and emotional wellness, has announced the second edition of its yearly digital property – '#LISSUNToYourMind'. The start-up founded the campaign to spread awareness and resonate the message of 'Mental health care for all: let's make it a reality last year. Over the span of the year, it could sustain the wave and successfully touch the lives of 25000+ people in need for emotional and mental well-being. This year, on the occasion of Mental Health Day, the brand has come up with the second edition of the campaign to celebrate the success achieved so far and share the ambition of the coming year with everyone.
Under the campaign Lissun conducted two-day virtual events consisting of panel discussions. On day one it will have esteemed guests from diverse fields to address the subject of – Mental Health Interventions within the Systems of Society & Health Care. While on day 2, it will elaborate on the topic of - Creating Access to quality mental health care: Struggle, Needs & Challenges in consultation with healthcare companies, doctors and even corporates. The brand believes that starting the conversations is the first step towards a healthier tomorrow. Therefore, the panel discussion is aimed at initiating the same for all out there. The same will be followed by sessions on art therapy, mindfulness, competition for college students, etc.
Subhashini Ponnappa – Head, HR & Admin, APAC, 75F: The pandemic, besides teaching us about the importance of our physical health, taught us to keep a check on our mental well-being. Entering the lockdown phase was hard, but it is only now that many realise how much harder to come out of it. The transition is stressful, overwhelming, and exhausting, not only at a personal but also at a professional level.
Adding to the stress is the moving-back-to-office scenario. The readjusting itself has taken a toll on many employees, impacting them especially mentally. In such a scenario, it is important for employers to build a healthy and welcoming workplace environment for employees, one in which they feel they can open up about these issues.
At 75F, we’ve been undertaking many collective initiatives in our approach to heed the concerns of our employees’ mental well-being. Towards this, we also ensure that the demands of work are not detrimental to our employees’ well-being. We focus on employee morale by organise employee engagement activities such as to help them feel at home even while in their workplace. To build team motivation, we also give away quarterly gifts, periodic recognition, and rewards—including tenure completion rewards. We organize regular team outings and festive get-togethers, as well as CSR activities such as World Environment Day, to avoid our employees from becoming mentally exhausted at work.
Priyan DC, CEO, Star Squared PR: Mental health awareness has received significant attention in the media in recent years. Drastic changes at the workplace such as remote working, virtual meetings, and lack of social engagement for prolonged periods has resulted in stress among employees more than ever before. At Star Squared PR we recognize the importance of this and have tried to incorporate a host of initiatives into our daily routine to address these concerns as we moved back into the physical office. As an organisation we believe in building a collaborative team and a healthy workplace that will allow everyone to thrive individually and contribute to the overall success of the organisation.
Employee engagement activities have been calendared on a regular basis at the office with the aim of encouraging increased networking and one-to-one engagement with other team members. We also recently organised an off-site with the whole team, which included a host of outdoor activities as well as an interactive session on mental well-being with one of India’s leading psychologists, Ajanta De of Inner Sight. The session covered common challenges such as depression, anxiety, and the need to adjust to a new environment with many people having to relocate for jobs. We believe that such engagements on a regular basis can help build a comfort zone at work where employees feel valued and respected and are given an opportunity to address any challenges they may have.
See also:
Popular mental health app, will soon be available in Hindi (indiatechonline.com)
Mental Health is a priority in the workplace (indiatechonline.com)