World Mental Health Day “MINDing Mental Health”
The beats of a dangoora (traditional drum) broke the quiet of the night in Balichakra village of Yadagiri district, calling people to hear the news. The drummer invited the villagers to learn and discuss mental well-being the next day in their Gram Panchayat (village administration) office. Thus, the 57 villagers who assembled there heard of World Mental Health Day for the first time ever on 10 October 2024, thanks to the local Don Bosco organisation and the BREADS-supported MINDS initiative in six districts of Karnataka.
Similarly, a walkathon drew attention of townsfolk of Chitradurga to watch an interesting skit and enjoy a lively flash mob by the local Don Bosco College students: both communicating the importance of mental health. An awareness programme for women’s self-help groups extended their initiative.
A focused mental health awareness programme was organised in Raichur district to equip Health (ASHA) Workers and local community members with the knowledge and resources necessary to support mental well-being within their communities.
In Bangalore city, MINDS staff conducted a mental health awareness programme in the Koramangala Primary Health Centre (PHC) for prenatal and post-natal women and created awareness in the thickly populated area known for floating crowds. They also addressed the unique mental health challenges of 120 children affected and infected by HIV, in the Daya Bhavan Group of Charitable Institutions, to foster a supportive environment for their healing and growth.
In Vijayanagara (Hospet) district, 100 selected children from nearby schools participated in a fun, informative quiz competition on mental health and then went around the village in a procession to spread awareness about mental health to the community. Facilitated by the MINDS staff, 65 youth in Bidar came together to discuss and share their mental health concerns and learn about available resources that could support them. It was followed by a public programme attended by hospital staffs, social workers and general public.
India is known as the suicide capital of the world—171,000 people died by suicide in 2022—and rates have been increasing among adolescents in recent years. The most reported risk factors for them were mental health problems (54.28%), negative or traumatic familiar issues (34.28%), academic stress (22.85%), social/lifestyle factors (20%), violence (22.85%), economic distresses (8.75%), relationship factor (8.75%).
As a proponent of child rights and youth wellbeing, BREADS has started to address these issues through a Mental health Initiative for Nurturing Development and Support (MINDS) for this vulnerable population. Spread across six districts in Karnataka— Bangalore, Chitradurga, Vijayanagar, Yadagiri, Raichur and Bidar—MINDS will raise awareness about the importance of mental health among children, parents, teachers, and mental health professionals, working to remove the stigma ascribed to it, to create a supportive environment. A network of counselling centres at Don Bosco Institutions will offer much-needed psychological and mentoring support. Like the beats of the dangoora, BREADS hopes to awaken people to the need of promoting mental health in their homes and communities, to improve their quality of life, and save young people from depression and despair.
