India is the most depressed country in the world. This is according to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s report on depression. With around 600 million young people in India, one of the youngest populations in the world, and with the country set to be the fifth largest economy in the world, it is depression, perhaps under the strain of this economic growth, that occurs in the lives of so many young Indians.

India’s economic advancement is on track, or at least stable, however, at what cost? A bulk of this population has been chasing financial growth, without considering the costs of achieving it.

The introduction of a Mental Health Care Act by the Government of India in 2017 is a mammoth step in the right direction. However, a large part of the focus must be on treatment, awareness, and stigma.

But how can we tackle this problem? The World Health Organization defines mental health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Mental wellness does not, therefore, translate into forcing ourselves to be happy always; but means achieving a state of mind which provides resilience to handle anything life might throw at us. It is the people who do not have this capacity or access to support systems necessary to build such strength, who fall into depression and suffer from other illnesses.

Zindagi Tujhe Salaam has taken a step to establish a National Emotional and Mental Health Helpline. The primary objective of the helpline will be to provide first line support for corporate bodies, individuals and families who need assistance in emotional and mental health emergencies. To help tackle the issue of stigma, the Helpline will utilize anonymity, and will provide national coverage for ease of access to services, using modern technology to make rare, specialized professional support more readily available. We have taken the approach to establish the Helpline within a private sector organization in order to use the inherent management and technical capacities available to prudently manage the initiative.

Healthcare cannot be the responsibility of the government alone and ignorance about mental illness abounds in the general population leading to considerable stigmatization of the mentally ill. Lack of decent quality services means that people are unable to get treatment and are often subjected to stigma and discrimination.

There have been many reports of suicides as well as psychotic illnesses which have made the headlines in the main newspapers in India in the last few years and the complete lack of capacity to deal with issues is very obvious. Today in India young people are physically and mentally distancing themselves from families and societies to pursue their goals. The increasing prevalence of nuclear families in India (88% of families only have 3-4 members), coupled with child-rearing practices that indicate primary focus on “success”, “being in a position” and minimum tolerance for problems render him or her incapable of being at peace. The typical child or adolescent is taught only to study, “get marks”, and “grow in life”, without being taught how to behave and how to handle crises.

Indian society is inherently prone to placing conventional pressures on children. A key cause for this is parental anxiety as most Indian parents want their children to take up career paths that guarantee a six-figure starting salary, or get their children married off before they die. However, it also remains a concern that children succumb to such pressure and do not try to convince their parents of their ability to take the less-trodden path or to choose a partner of their liking, which is a result of upbringing that doesn’t provide pointers on how to deal with controversies. However, resentment is an unavoidable residue, which makes young adults frustrated, anxious, and ultimately, depressed.

Good health is one of the key determinants of human development and psychological illnesses of various types detract from optimum health. With the growing incidence of stress and depression, these conditions will surely undermine the human resource capacity significantly if they are not addressed. To help bridge the gap between the growing demand for mental health services and the inadequate supply of services we propose the setting up of an emotional and mental health helpline.
The objective of the helpline is to provide a confidential service which offers information, support, guidance and referral for individuals who may be affected in any way by matters concerning emotional or mental well-being.
The helpline will constitute an essential interface between people confronted with emotional/ mental health issues and services which offer a concrete response to request for help. Issues to be addressed by the helpline include:
• Depression and anxiety disorders
• Relationship counselling
• child related counselling
• Suicidal Attempts
• Stress management
• Acute management of psychotic patients