Page 4 - index
P. 4
PREFACE
The hard reality of the lack of mental healthcare in India is what we came face to face
with during the research process of Satyamev Jayate’s episode on Nurturing Mental
Health. The ignorance and stigma surrounding mental illnesses in our country was
shocking, especially because 1 in 4 people in the world suffer from a mental illness at
some point of time in their lives.
Suicide is the second highest cause of death amongst those aged 15–30 in India. We
met parents, friends and siblings who had lost their dear ones to suicide. Many of our
interviewees with mental illness or those facing emotional distress didn’t know that
help in the form of counselling, medication and alternative treatments was available.
Many were hesitant to seek this help for the fear of being considered ‘crazy’ or ‘mad’,
and instead resorted to often harmful, superstitious practices for cure. We also
learnt that a lot of the treatment is inaccessible or unaffordable for the vast majority
of our country. However, there are also several heroic examples of individuals and
organisations engaged in the care and cure of the mentally ill.
After our episode on mental health was aired on November 2, 2014, we received
thousands of messages from our show’s viewers online and offline. This booklet
contains narratives that we received from our viewers on living or dealing with
mental illnesses. The stories are divided into four broad categories—Depression,
Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia and Suicide. We have made efforts to reach out to
those seeking help and connected them with experts, wherever possible.
All names in this booklet have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals
involved with the exception of those who asked for their names to be retained. These
voices deserve to be heard by all of us so that they can help us understand the various
gaps in the mental health space and address them more effectively.
Love,
Team Satyamev Jayate
PREFACE
The hard reality of the lack of mental healthcare in India is what we came face to face
with during the research process of Satyamev Jayate’s episode on Nurturing Mental
Health. The ignorance and stigma surrounding mental illnesses in our country was
shocking, especially because 1 in 4 people in the world suffer from a mental illness at
some point of time in their lives.
Suicide is the second highest cause of death amongst those aged 15–30 in India. We
met parents, friends and siblings who had lost their dear ones to suicide. Many of our
interviewees with mental illness or those facing emotional distress didn’t know that
help in the form of counselling, medication and alternative treatments was available.
Many were hesitant to seek this help for the fear of being considered ‘crazy’ or ‘mad’,
and instead resorted to often harmful, superstitious practices for cure. We also
learnt that a lot of the treatment is inaccessible or unaffordable for the vast majority
of our country. However, there are also several heroic examples of individuals and
organisations engaged in the care and cure of the mentally ill.
After our episode on mental health was aired on November 2, 2014, we received
thousands of messages from our show’s viewers online and offline. This booklet
contains narratives that we received from our viewers on living or dealing with
mental illnesses. The stories are divided into four broad categories—Depression,
Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia and Suicide. We have made efforts to reach out to
those seeking help and connected them with experts, wherever possible.
All names in this booklet have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals
involved with the exception of those who asked for their names to be retained. These
voices deserve to be heard by all of us so that they can help us understand the various
gaps in the mental health space and address them more effectively.
Love,
Team Satyamev Jayate
PREFACE
