A State of Wellbeing: Assessing Mental Health and Society Over Time
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 20 Indians suffers from depression, and 39% of those with depression experience severe symptoms. This is just one form of mental health issues faced by Indians, and people globally. These mental health issues are brought on by a multitude of factors; from the pandemic to societal issues such as caste-based stigma, mental health is a rising concern world over. Finding aid in any form is usually a challenge, as social stigma and a lack of access and knowledge act as hurdles, and prevent those who need it from seeking help.
For this very reason, Asia Society India Centre, with support from the Raika Godrej Family Trust, began its mental health series in 2021, at the height of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our initial goal through this series was to identify the ways in which the pandemic was disproportionately affecting the mental health of the most vulnerable in our society - our elders, our children, and our women. Through the first season, we unpacked the ways in which isolation could be harmful to mental health, including how the absence of in-person learning and social interactions had given rise to various emotional and mental health challenges, ranging from eating disorders and depression to social awkwardness, substance abuse, and even suicide.
Following the success of season one, we chose to focus on lesser-known areas of mental health that deserved attention and intellectual discussion, ranging from specific issues that go unaddressed in the treatment of substance abuse and obsessive-compulsive disorder, to the role of surprising intellectual endeavours like creativity in advocating for mental health. These sessions highlighted the need to understand why rather than to castigate, as well as the need to reduce stigma associated with certain disorders.
After looking at these issues in such great detail, we realised that a significant factor contributing to these issues was the way society is structured. We turned our focus to the broader infrastructures of mental healthcare in India; across demographics; online; in workplaces; and in emergency and low-resource situations. Throughout this season, we looked at how the internet, and how social constructs such as gender, and caste, play a role in mental stress, and health. We found that often stigma, lack of access and unequal power dynamics are the leading barrier to care, and focusing on these can transform the lives of millions.
This series continues to be of keen interest to us, and we hope to keep building on the takeaways as we move forward. You can find all the past programs we have curated below - from season to season, our ultimate goal has remained the same; to spread awareness about, and to advocate for better mental healthcare in India, and the world.