On the Solemn observance of Mental Health Awareness Week (4th October 2020 – 10th October) Mental Health Cognizance Forum will initiate a campaign under the Mentorship of Dr. Jitendra Nagpal, Mental Health Senior Consultant Moolchand Medicity with more than 30 years of experience in the field.
Mental Health Awareness Week campaign kick starts a series of programs and initiatives which will act as a Confidence Building Initiative for especially for the Youth of our country.
Chavi Hemanth, Convenor, Mental Health Cognizance Forum, highlighted the mission objectives of the campaign and said “Through our efforts, we are laying a foundation for “Happy India, Prosperous India” Mental Health is an often misunderstood subject in India and as per prediction by World Health Organization (WHO) roughly 20 percent of our population suffers from some form of mental disorder. Mental illness constitutes one-sixth of all health-related disorders in India and as per WHO estimates may hurt India to the tune of $ 1.03 trillion between 2012-2030.”
“India also accounts for nearly 15% of the global mental, neurological, and substance abuse disorder burden. As per a Nimhans report, 150 million Indians need urgent mental health care services, less than 30 million people in India are seeking care. We urge the Government, to see Mental Health as a serious pandemic that should not be seen as a spectacle from the incidents involving reports of suicide by a High profile celebrity but to come out with a Comprehensive National Mental Healthcare strategy which will contain this pandemic,” she added.
Mental Health Awareness Campaign will initiate discourse and dialogue in the society on the seriousness of the issue and Dr. Jitendra Nagpal Mentor at Mental Health Cognizance Forum & Senior Consultant Moolchand Medicity said “India has a fragile Healthcare system for treating Mental illness in the country and have a Mental healthcare workforce (per 100,000 population) which includes psychiatrists (0.3), nurses (0.12) and social workers (0.07). Through our campaign, during the Mental Health Awareness Week, we will articulate an urgent need for creating robust Mental Healthcare infrastructure in the country.”
Mental Health Awareness Week campaign will also encourage children of all ages to share their drawings, paintings, poetry, and video messages.
Prachi Batra Nicholson Project Head, Mental Health Cognizance Forum, and one of the leading lights of the Forum said “We have a long-term vision and commitment which will continue even after our campaign during the week gets over. Our children who are the future of our country need to be empowered to explore their creative and analytical skills. We will work steadfastly to work with all the concerned stakeholders in the field”.
Professionals from all walks of society have joined this holistic mission and have pledged their resolve to work wholeheartedly towards this mission during the week. It is a laudable initiative that will create a foundation for Vibrant India and will inspire citizens to think objectively about the concern and come out with a redressal mechanism for the burgeoning national concern.