Mental Health and Wellbeing

Vijay Nallawala who has been running a peer support group for persons with Bipolar Disorder and their caregivers, talks about the upcoming Bipolar disorder conference in Mumbai and the value of peer support communities.  Bipolar Disorder, previously known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out tasks. Well, that definition does not adequately bring across what a person struggling with it has…

For International Women's Day, in line with the UN Women’s theme for 2019 we highlight a few women innovators and social entrepreneurs who have contributed to "Think equal, Build smart & Innovate for a change." We asked these three women entrepreneurs and innovators what drove the innovation and how it benefits the community.  Aditi Gupta, Founder - Menstrupedia Making it cool for young girls to talk about menstruation We created Menstrupedia to fight the widespread unawareness…

Alive is an initiative to engage undertrials in prisons in creative projects through colours and craft sessions, a therapeutic experience which has immensely helped the inmates relieve stress and find joy and happiness. Editor's Note: While this may not seem at first like an article on health, we felt that this project demonstrates effectively the therapeutic effect of art and colouring and it is easy to adopt. So we spoke with Renelle Snelleksz, the force behind Project Alive. Tell us about…

There is a significant increase in young people with eating disorders from developing countries who take concerns about food and body weight to dangerous extremes. Dr. Mangala of SCARF, Chennai shares how you can spot an eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia and binging and seek timely assistance to save precious lives. Eating disorders are behavioural disorders characterized by abnormal eating habits, causing psychological and physiological disturbances. These persistent abnormal eating…

Mumbai-based psychotherapist H'vovi Bhagwagar explains panic attacks, signs and symptoms, triggers for panic attacks and tips on coping with panic attacks. “Courage is knowing what not to fear”-Plato. Imagine the 2 scenes. A fire fighter enters a building on a rescue mission, where a family is stuck on the 15th floor. The smoke is thick and penetrates his protective gear almost choking him. He thinks “I am going to die, what will happen to my family”. He moves into action, breathing in a manner…

Dr Jayaraman Hariram, Psychiatrist, Senior Consultant, Emergency Service & OCD Clinic, Singapore answers the frequently asked questions on OCD including treatment options and how to recognize if you need help. What is OCD? Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the common mental illness recently separated from anxiety disorder and placed within Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorder.  It affects people of all ages and walks of life, and occurs when a person gets caught in a…

Dr. Shivaprakash Srinivasan, Child Adolescent  and Adult Psychiatrist at SCARF puts the spotlight on the growing trend of cyberbullying, the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent mental health and what parents and educators/teachers can do to prevent cyberbullying and spot signs. The internet since its introduction to the public in the early 1990’s has been changing the world at a really rapid pace. It has been making communication with persons around the world astoundingly easy and also…

Sangeetha Param, a 24 year old living with bipolar disorder and depression, is a successful employee, has authored two books and is no longer afraid to talk in public about her mental health issues. Read her reflective piece. "I have bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder”. “Do you know what they are?" I ask. The general responses are – "I don't know". "They are just mood swings, right?" "I have the exact same thing". "I know what you are talking about. I read it online that it's…

Vijay Nallawala, has been living with bipolar disorder for 42 years and runs a peer support group. Here he takes us through his journey of mental and physical recovery that could be an inspiration to others affected by similar conditions. When a person affected by bipolar disorder asks his psychiatrist about the prognosis of this mental health disorder, the typical answer one gets is: 'Although bipolar disorder has no cure, it can be managed with medication and therapy.' Coming to terms with my…

Males suffering from depression have an increased vulnerability to dying by suicide. Clinical psychologist Smriti Sawhney advices it is important to seek professional help and lists out tips to alleviate depression. Boys are not supposed to cry. And, if you cry you are weak. And, being emotional is so ‘girly’. Most boys tend to hear these and other similar statements during their growing up years. Internalising such statements can make it difficult later on for men to express or share their…