With over 197 million people suffering from mental health issues and a suicide every 17 seconds, India has a third of the world’s cases of depression, addiction and suicide. Inspite of the staggering numbers, there’s a 95% treatment gap due to the lack of access, awareness and affordability and the variable quality of mental healthcare providers. The times we live in today, are adding layers of uncertainty and emotional distress at a population level, in a way people haven’t deal with before anywhere in the world.
To provide an extended support system for people in these challenging socio-economic times, InnerHour, a global mental health platform, is extending its digital programmes and self-help tools pro bono to healthcare professionals, WFH employees of companies and university students to support their mental wellbeing in these very uncertain times.
The organisation is widely offering a range of clinical tools and self-help psychological activities, topical content and webinars, bot-based check-ins and voice/video therapy sessions in 7 Indian languages. Since its inception, the InnerHour team led by Dr. Amit Malik, MBBS (India) and MRCPsych (UK), has supported over 600,000 people from over 100 cities worldwide and is today rated as one of the best self-help apps globally.
Dr. Shekhar Saxena, Professor of the Practice of Global Mental Health at the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health and previously Director, Mental Health and Substance Abuse, WHO, comments, “In times of crisis we see a rise in mental health concerns and its most critical to provide supportive tools and early intervention for those suffering, in an accessible affordable manner. I complement the InnerHour mental health platform for providing such a timely service and making it freely available for those who need it most.”
Neha Kirpal (Founder, India Art Fair) has joined Dr Amit Malik as co-founder of InnerHour and is calling on leaders and change makers to come together and make a pledge for global mental health. She says, “The covid pandemic has brought great socio-economic uncertainties, giving rise to increased anxiety, depression, addiction and suicide the world over. Together, we can resolve to find the optimism, resilience, and emotional balance to tide over these challenging times, and help provide access to treatment and care, for those who need it. Our mental health problems and solutions are much the same across boundaries, race and colour. Let’s join hands and share a pledge. #MyMindMatters #MentalHealthForAll”
