Anti-stigma campaigns crucial to promoting mental well being and reducing treatment gap, says NIMHANS paper 

A paper by NIMHANS researchers has emphasised that anti-stigma campaigns, such as “Mental Health Santhe”, can promote mental well being, dispel myths and misconceptions, and reduce the treatment gap. The paper was recently published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine.

Next one on Oct. 15

NIMHANS has been conducting “Mental Health Santhe”, an unique anti-stigma campaign, for the last two years to raise awareness about mental health issues and suicide prevention, including the accessibility of resources, interventions, treatment facilities, emerging scope for education, and research. The third one is scheduled to be held on October 15.

“The Mental Health Santhe initiative will emphasise incorporating robust statistical methodologies in upcoming editions. This strategic shift aims to bolster the initiative’s efficacy by enabling more accurate data collection and analysis, thereby providing valuable insights into the event’s impact on mental health awareness and help-seeking behaviors,” said K.S. Meena, professor and head of the Department of Mental Health Education at NIMHANS.

Anti-stigma initiatives

“Stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide is prevalent worldwide, inhibiting people from seeking help and limiting their access to available mental health facilities. Consequently, it widens the gap in the treatment of mental health. There have been innumerable anti-stigma initiatives by lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) that have replicated the already existing strategies used by high-income countries (HICs), hoping for a similar outcome. Our article highlights the necessity for launching an anti-stigma campaign tailored to our demographics, with a strong focus on using an emic approach as its foundation,” said Dr. Meena, who is the corresponding author of the article.

Findings from the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) conducted from 2015 to 2016 underscored a substantial treatment gap for mental health in India, reaching as high as 83.4%.

In the realm of mental healthcare service and resource utilisation, various factors contribute to the treatment gap, encompassing a lack of perceived necessity, societal stigma, insufficient awareness regarding the accessibility and availability of healthcare resources, financial constraints hindering treatment affordability and uncertainty regarding treatment efficacy. “Among these factors, stigma and discrimination against individuals with mental and behavioural disorders emerge as the foremost barrier, necessitating community attention.” the doctor pointed out.

Recent studies have elucidated the detrimental impact of mental illness stigmatisation manifesting in diminished self-esteem, poor quality of life, negative perceptions toward mental health services, lack of social support, and unfavourable prognosis for affected individuals.

Mental Health Santhe

The “Mental Health Santhe - Wellness is Fundamental” campaign by NIMHANS is an initiative that integrates a cultural framework into mental health interventions to combat stigma and promote social integration. “The previous santhe brought together a diverse array of key stakeholders, bringing their expertise in areas of mental health and suicide prevention to promote mental well-being through community engagement. What sets it apart from other mental health campaigns globally is building upon the pre-existing concept of santhe, emphasising cultural relevance, community engagement, and multi-disciplinary collaboration of the public, media, and organisations for initiating conversations around mental health,” Dr. Meena explained.

To raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention, the inter-disciplinary departments of the institute showcased information about the range of services accessible to the public. 

The services included training on media and mental health education, immediate care for psychological emergencies, gatekeeper training for suicide prevention, and psychosocial support for disaster management. In addition, services for women’s mental health, child and adolescent mental health, de-addiction services, digital detox, technology addiction, rehabilitation, telemedicine, mobile mental health applications, and assistance for the elderly with dementia were displayed during the previous campaigns. Additionally, film-based interventions were screened in the regional language to improve public understanding of mental health and reduce stigma.

Published - September 25, 2024 07:00 am IST