Mental Health and Wellbeing

Ganesh N Rajan, 59 from Chennai, a management consultant and now an author shares the symptoms that led to his diagnosis of Schizophrenia at 19 and how pro-active treatment and management allowed him to lead a full and productive life in terms of family relationships and at work. Ganesh, please tell us a little bit about yourself I was born into a semi-orthodox ‘TamBram’ family. I have two brothers, one older and one younger, and one sister, the youngest. I was given a lot of freedom and never…

Karishma Valliapan, 28 talks of her bond with her older sister Reshma Valliapan, the challenges of living with a sister who has schizophrenia and how it has affected her life choices and her coping mechanisms. How do you Introduce yourself A sibling that will never give up on any of her siblings even if they are or are not suffering from schizophrenia. A loving and supportive person who is devoted to helping people through their challenging journeys and therefore chose a path in neuropsychology…

Zeenat Jahan, advanced life coach, takes us through the myriad benefits of positive psychology that reverses the focus from negative to positive and can benefit people at different stages on the mental health spectrum. At a recent conference on Bipolar Disorder, you spoke about how positive psychology can help adults with depression or bipolar. What exactly is positive psychology? Positive psychology is a scientific approach to studying human thoughts, feelings, and behavior with a focus on…

Hvovi Bhagwagar, a clinical psychologist who works a lot of persons with Bipolar Disorder and their families, puts the spotlight on challenges faced by the family caregivers and what they can do to help the persons with Bipolar Disorder as well as themselves.  Arman is a 32-year-old social activist. He is well-respected for his many welfare activities. Diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder in his teens, his life has been a constant internal struggle. His parents, one of whom was diagnosed…

Shayonee, 30, a lawyer from Mumbai ignored the signs of depression for a very long time. A diagnosis of chronic depression and the identification of triggers and stressors, led to re-framing of priorities. She strongly believes there is a need for greater openness about mental health at the workplace.  Trigger Warning Suffering from clinical depression (CD) was not a choice I made. It came into my life as an uninvited guest who overstayed her welcome. One of the psychiatrists I…

Losing someone to suicide can be traumatic. Nyana Sabharwal, who lost her mother to suicide, co-founded We Hear You, a support group for those bereaved by suicide loss, as an important way to heal, cope and overcome grief. You have set up a unique and distinct peer support group for those bereaved by suicide loss. Could you tell us a little about it? ‘We Hear You’ was set up a year ago to help people who are experiencing bereavement by suicide loss to have a safe space to talk about their…

Shambhavi,25 who was diagnosed with Bipolar Affective Disorder talks of her own fears and misconceptions about the condition and how speaking up helped her build a support system around her.  I am a queer feminist and a writer at Youth Ki Awaaz. I use she/her pronouns. I have been diagnosed with Bipolar Affective Disorder (II) for which I am undergoing psychotherapy and psychiatric treatment. What were the early symptoms? When I was a teenager, I would be seized by bouts of…

Swati Agrawal on how her unbearable headaches eventually led to a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder, coming to terms with the diagnosis and her experience of living with the ups and downs associated her condition. It all started with body pains. After two years of visiting numerous doctors, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I did not get out of bed for days. And it wasn’t just because of body pain, but because of lack of any will or motivation. I did not recognize myself. I was a different person…

Although the right to health care of any kind has become a legal provision for the first time in India, implementing the Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA) is still challenging to all stakeholders. Sign the petition to bridge the mental health care gap. Contributed by Mariwala Health Initiative What is the Mental Health Care Gap? If one goes by global statistics, then one in four of us will at some point be affected by a mental health issue in our lifetime. India’s National Mental Health Survey (…

Mamta Prasad, who has Bipolar Disorder shares her journey with marijuana addiction, her use of art as a release and the impact her condition has had on her relationships with family and friends. The earth is bipolar and so am I. Warm greetings to all that are reading further. Jokes apart, my story is one of addiction to marijuana and its ill effects. Psychosis and ensuing mania due to using marijuana for almost nine years. Nothing could stop me from using - not my parent’s plight, not…