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Free services for mental wellness in India

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There are numerous factors that increase stress in our lives.  The pressure to perform better than others, stress at work, the supersonic lifestyle, just don’t align with our mind, body and soul.  But then who are we going to blame for this? Is there a remedy?

The most convenient thing to do is ignore it without recognising it as a sign or symptom of illness.  According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India has been ranked amongst  the most depressed countries in the world.  Let us not even start off by listing out the obvious reasons for this.  Meanwhile let’s focus on the good news in terms of the Mental Health Care Bill and also the various initiatives such as free services for mental wellness in our country.  Here are initiatives to name a few.

Shanti Home

Shanti Home was established in the year 2007 by a group of mental health professionals under the guidance of Dr Manish S. Kansal a senior Consultant Psychiatrist.

Shanti Home’s team apart from the paid services provides free treatment services to marginalized sections of the society through their community outreach programme to the interior parts of NCR and western U.P. in collaboration with Draupadi Devi Memorial Trust.

The realisation that that the mental health care services in the private sector can be economically demanding and many of the patients/ families are not able to avail services due to high costs, led the team at Shanti Home to cater to the needs of the patients and families. The team has in collaboration with Draupadi Devi Memorial Trust taken an initiative wherein the quality services both in outpatient and inpatient settings can be provided free of charge to these patients with the funds obtained from the paid facilities.

SCARF (Schizophrenia Research Foundation)

SCARF is a non -governmental, non profit organization in Chennai.  It was founded in 1984 by a group of philanthropists and mental health professionals led by Dr. M.Sarada Menon, an internationally known psychiatrist.   SCARF has established itself as a centre of repute in rehabilitation and research in disorders of the mind.

SCARF is one of the very few NGOs in the world to be named as a Collaborating Center of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Mental Health Research and Training.

 

BetterLYF

To help people deal with the day-to-day stress that life brings, Vikram launched Better LYF in  2016.  It is an online platform where qualified and trained counsellors are available to provide help and support to all those who need it. The counsellors facilitate solutions for issues like work stress, relationships, peer pressure etc.

BetterLYF provides a 24/7 helpline for stress and anxiety-related concerns and claims to have conducted over 32,000 conversations across 35 countries. They also provide telephonic sessions for individuals.

Living in Well being

Living in Well Being is a centre in Kollam, Kerala started by Dr. Puroshothaman.  Over here one can talk to a psychologist online for free.  Their services also include free online mental health counselling, e counselling, online therapy, online marriage counselling, couples counselling online and free online marriage counselling services.  Their team of experts are equipped for promptly answering queries and issues.  And, if it is found that, during the period of assessment, they need traditional medical attention or standard face-to face treatment, they will be referred for in-office therapy.

JiyoLifeSurat.com

Jiyolifesurat is a Surat based mental health group dedicated to help people, their families and friends who may be going through rough times.  Over here one can get free mental health advice, support and information from the experts.  The team over here primarily focuses on mental health and well being.  The experts here include  Dr Mukul Choksi, a psychiatrist, Dr Dipti Joshi, a psychologist, Dr Bhavna Raja, a counsellor and psychotherapist, and Dr Swati Vinchurkar,  a paediatrician.

 

 

 

 

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Sharika Nair

Uncrowned Queen of certified PJs. Positive thinker. Writer . Author. Marathon Runner. Brand Marketing expert.

About the Author

Sharika Nair

Uncrowned Queen of certified PJs. Positive thinker. Writer . Author. Marathon Runner. Brand Marketing expert.

Read more from Sharika