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DECODING THE STIGMAS AROUND MENTAL HEALTH IN AND AROUND DODDABALLAPUR
Qualitative Final Report for TTCG
By: Kantar Insights Division
July 2019
1
Time to Change, Global (TTCG) has been working to end the
stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental health
problems since 2007. It has also supported many other
similar programs and campaigns across the world and co-
founded the Global Anti Stigma Alliance to tackle stigma.
A new global program has been set up in April 2018, to work
with countries that are members of the Commonwealth – To
offer support to people going through these experiences as
well as bring the communities; local organizations and nations
together to address mental health stigma and discrimination
in these regions.
The global program will work in partnership with local Non-
Government Organizations (NGOs) and people having gone
through similar experiences in various countries such as
Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and India to run and evaluate
pilot campaigns, as well as deliver wider global learning
aimed to develop an international anti-stigma ‘toolkit’.
This document entails the findings of the research
2
Background
3
To decode the understanding & opinion of the target
audience towards various mental health problems and
stigmas associated with mental illnesses – which can be
used as inputs for the social marketing campaigns
Key Needs from Research
Our Approach
An exploratory module to understand the attitudes, beliefs, fears
and myths around mental illnesses. This will also bring forth the
level of awareness around mental illness
Target Group
4
Consumer Profile
• Male and Female
• SEC B/C/D
• Mix of Working and Non Working individuals
• Age:
• 18-24 years: Younger
• 25-35 years: Middle
• 36- 54 years: Older
• Live in Doddaballapur or surrounding villages (within 30km).
• DIs: With people having a relative, friend or colleague who suffers from mental
health problems such as:
• Depression
• Bi-polar disorder
• Schizophrenia
• OCD
Centre: Doddaballappur – Rural area surrounding 30kms (Thuruvunehalli, Ayyammanchalli,
Bashetty halli, Juganahalli, Neraligatta, Channaveeranahalli, Kuruballahalli, Samashethalli)
Language: Kannada
Male Female Total
Urban
Doddab
allapur
1 MGD, 18-
24 + 1 DI,
25-35
1 MGD, 25-
35+ 1 DI,
36-45
4
Rural
Doddab
allapur
1 MGD, 36-
45 + 1 DI,
18-24
1 MGD, 18-
24+ 1 DI,
25-35
4
Total 4 MGDs
+ 4 DIs
Sample Design – Qualitative – 4 MGDs + 4 DIs
Contents of the
Presentation
5
CH
AP
TE
R 1 Setting the
Context Understanding perceptions around mental health
CH
AP
TE
R 2 Understanding the
myths and stigmas around mental health
CH
AP
TE
R 3 Overview of the
Social Environment around Mental Health
CH
AP
TE
R 4 Concluding
thoughts on breaking the stigma around Mental Health
6
CHAPTER 1
Setting the context – Let us
start by understanding what is
the meaning of Mental Health
in and around Doddaballapur…
Conceptually, mental health has started gaining importance as it is significant in ensuring the
overall wellbeing of a person; specially keeping away physical ailments caused by stress…
7
Stress free living ensures
physical well being
Higher educational attainment Greater Productivity
Dependability Better relationships and social standing
Mental wellness immediately translates into stress
free living which is perceived to be the biggest
reason of all ailments; hectic lifestyle and increasing
work pressure and rising greed results in stress.
Mental wellness is important as it
allows one to attain higher levels of
education which is also a crucial
factor for rising up the career ladder
Mental wellness helps one to be
more productive at work which
means better compensation and
higher standard of living
Mental wellness allows one to
take up more responsibilities in
life and fulfil them effectively –
example – taking care of family,
children and elders in the house
Mental wellness also translates into
healthier relationships and a good
social standing within one’s
neighbourhood and social circle
Respondent Speak
8
“Everything depends on one’s mindset. Some people will always be thinking bad and the work they do will also be the
same way. So their health gets spoilt automatically.- Younger Male
It is important to be stress free. Stress is the biggest problem. We here somewhere someone has met with an accident
and then we keep worrying that why my son hasn’t come home yet and all. Initially I did not have any illnesses but now I
worry so much about them that I have got diabetes. These are all stress induced illnesses – Older Female
We have to be mentally healthy, but as soon as children grow up we start getting problems one by one. When they are
young we are all strong but when they grow up we tend to get all kinds of illnesses. When children are young they listen to
you, but when they grow up they start making their own decisions and don’t listen to us, so the worries are piling up.- Older
Female
I will give a simple example. When everything is fine we will get up early and go to work. If there is any conflict in the
house and our mind is disturbed then we don’t feel like going to work. A man will be well balanced only when he is both
physically and mentally healthy. – Older Male
…however when it comes to Mental health disorders, there is still limited understanding
around the whole issue and minimal differentiation between various types of disorders that
exist…
9
Understanding of symptoms is only limited to “Normal behavior vs
Abnormal behavior”
Confusion around how to differentiate between Nature of a person vs symptoms of a mental
disorder
Difficult to differentiate between short term
situational stress or a initial stages of a mental
disorder
Surface level knowledge of the different types of
disorders and their symptoms, with most mental issues called
‘depression’
“ My husband also reacts the same way; it is
difficult to control him; he worries about
every small thing and shout at people in the
family; he says he can’t be normal as he has
tensions all the time. I have to convince
him; it is common in the family; they should
not worry about that.- Older Female;
My father-in-law expired 6 months
ago; he was depressed and he did
not have any sense of who is in
front of him or who is talking to; he
was not normal; he behaved in a
different way – Caregiver, Older
Female
There is this old lady who keeps scolding
everyone in the house and draws Rangoli
(traditional Indian designs made with ground
rice) all the time, I have told her at times
don’t scold children, but she does not listen,
she is cleanliness obsessed; I feel that is
their nature – Younger Male
There is this person doing the same
thing over and over again. I don’t
know exactly what it is but it is some
mental problem for sure - Why do
they keep doing the same thing? –
Older Female
…because of this, the causes are mostly attributed to external factors; however few intrinsic
elements are expected to make people more susceptible to mental health issues…
10
Stress related to work,
children, property and
finances
Some drastic incident in
personal life or an
accident
Adjustment issues within
a non-supportive
environment
Introverts driven by the habit of
overthinking everything and not
mingling with people
Low mental strength/
Resilience
Lifestyle related stress is
considered to be the most
important factor leading to
depression
Some kind of trauma;
either physical or
mental triggers the
ailment
Many people living in
hostile environments
find it difficult to cope;
specially women when
they move into a new
house after marriage
Few people attribute the issues
related to mental illness with low
resilience to face difficulties in life
Being possessed by
demonsStill perceived to be the work of
black magic or spirits; which is
outside ones control
Overthinking and not talking to people about
problems essentially associated with
introverts; regarded as easily succumbing to
mental health problems
TRIGGERED
BY
EXTERNAL
FACTORS
FOR FEW PEOPLE
INTERNAL
FACTORS
INCREASE
SUSCEPTIBILITY
Respondent Speak
11
“Some of them even have issues with their mother in law, like they keep nagging their daughter in law for everything and due to this the
daughters in law have even committed suicide. Yes. There are people who have reached to that level and taken such drastic step. I have
heard of it and even seen it- Older Female
There are some people who are introverts and they don’t share things with others, so these people are more prone to such things – Older
Female
Many people become this way as they overthink. There are people who have become so due to shock of their husband meeting with an
accident. Few think they are in shock while others think they are possessed by demons. They are possessed. They are not considered
mental patients. They are thought to have been possessed by demons, spirit, devil or black magic – Older Female
I have seen a person by name Venkatachala in Dibbapura, he has seen his father dying or killing of his father, from then till now he will not
mingle with people. He will not speak to people or mingle with them, he will be sitting alone, whatever work is there, he will do his work on
his own. He will not join anyone, he will not speak to anyone, he does his work, eats, sits alone and sleeps. He does nothing else. He
does not like people.- Younger Male
It happens after a sudden incident, shocking news or on witnessing something. On seeing some accident. If the surrounding environment
is damaging, they lose themselves in a delusion – Older Female
It is perceived to be a slow and gradual process that keeps deteriorating the condition of an
individual from within and hard to identify symptoms during the initial stages further add to
the ambiguity…
12
Slow and Gradual Process
People understand that it is a slow
process (unless it involves a
major accident or severe case
incident); which makes it difficult
to pin-point the time it actually
started
No clear visible symptoms
until the problem has
worsened
It is difficult to identify people
suffering from mental disorders as
there are no drastic changes in their
behaviour during initial stages of the
problem; therefore it keeps getting
worse
“People won’t understand it is mental problem. They will feel “he will be okay after some
days, he is disturbed because of his work, he will be okay in future” they will ask what is the
problem, if he answers that is okay or else they will feel it because of some work tension.
They will leave him normally for days. If the same thing continues further, it might have get
to a serious to a level that he can’t express. – Younger Male
Mental problems don’t happen all of a
sudden. They grow into a severe illness
gradually. It's not like healthy today and
sick tomorrow – Older Female
13
In Sum | Societal perception of a person who has been identified with some mental illness
greatly deteriorates…
Perceptions towards people before
they are identified as mentally illPerceptions towards people after they
are identified as mentally ill
Unreliable, unstable and erratic
Broken away from societal norms
Having no sense of time and place
Unkempt with no sense of personal
hygiene
Responsible Individual
Follows rules and norms of society
Has a regular routine
Well groomed and well maintained
Opinions are valued and included in
decision making Avoided and excluded; not seen as
having worthwhile opinions
14
CHAPTER 2
Given this context, let us look at
the myths and stigmas associated
with mental health disorders…
Myth 1 | A person affected by a mental health disorder can never be perceived as normal again
or recover completely…
15
“As long as there are no problems, they lead a
normal life. If similar problems and worries
arise, they deteriorate. She has to continue
taking tablets – Older Female
Rather than curing them, people get adjusted
to them. Say for example we are a group of
people and one among us becomes like that
because of some sudden shock or so, what
we will do is we will start listening to them and
get adjusted to them but will not go in the way
where they can be cured. – Younger Male
Even if it gets completely cleared, he will have
a thought in his mind that “I had the problem, I
might get it again. It will be there in his
thinking always- Younger Male
Difficult Recovery - It is difficult to recover from a mental disorder and even if one is able to it is never complete; Only up to 90% recovery is possible
Possibility of Relapse - There is always a chance of relapse if subjected to similar conditions or if one stops taking their medicines
Life long scar -The scar of having suffered a mental disorder will always remain in the memory of the person and their family; which lowers their self confidence and making them unable to enjoy a normal life
# marked by a lifelong labelling, a person
suffering from mental health disorder is
deemed unfit to work or lead a normal life,
so much so that they are not considered a
functioning section of society
16
Stigmas that amplify
the Myth….
“Myth 2 | It is an area of expertise for priests and shamans over doctors and psychiatrists…
also highlighted as the initial reaction by people close to those suffering from mental illness
17
My grandmother never used to sleep and used to
remove her clothes. Then we went to the temple and
did a puja and she is alright now. She does her own
work. I have seen it in my own home. There is medical
science and also God’s science.– Older Female
In a situation like this people first go to God, then to
black magic, if that doesn’t work, then if someone says
that there is an elderly person who looks into such
things, they will take them there, even if that doesn’t
work, only then they go to doctors- Younger Male
It is because they have some mental illness; they think
that nobody in the family value them; nobody is
respecting them; it depends on their behaviour. My FIL
he used to scold kids; and talk to himself; after that he
used to ask for things; people in the village used to say
that he is possessed by ghost – Caregiver, Older
Female
Attributing the problem to spirits and black
magic
Relieves an individual from being subjected to any harsh
judgement from others by making them a victim; also shifts
the burden of guilt and shame to an external entity thereby
removing the scope of any personal defect leading to
mental disorder. Therefore reaching out to God; priests and
Shamans is a preferred mode of treatment.
# a person suffering from mental health
disorder is unpredictable, unsafe and
unreliable. They are possessed and are
to be feared…
18
Stigmas that amplify
the Myth….
Myth 3 | Approaching doctors and psychiatrists aggravates the existing shame …
19
“When we see such things we feel pity and tell the
family members to consult the doctor and all but
what do the family members say, their nature is
like that. They say that she likes things clean.
They don’t want to go to doctor as people will start
talking – Older female
It is very difficult to treat them. They won’t do it.
They will throw the tablets. And they take the
thrown tablets and play with it. – Older Male
They call them mentally challenged if they are
taken to a doctor. The person feels they are
mentally challenged for having been taken to a
doctor. They won't be aware of their own mental
condition. They will go against their family for
taking them to see a doctor. Relationships are
affected. - Older Female
Attributing the problem to Science and
medical condition
Still an ambiguous concept to grasp for all. While
people appreciate the effectiveness of involving a
doctor, it does not relieve one of the shame surrounding
the subject; all the more it aggravates the problem with
no external entity to blame for; implying some personal
defect must exist within an individual
# visiting a counsellor or doctor means
the condition has aggravated and is
beyond repair. It isolates and labels
them as inherently defective and
abnormal…
20
Stigmas that amplify
the Myth….
Myth 4 | It is also perceived to be genetically transferrable which affects the entire family…
21
“People might not marry their children. They will
not immediately agree when they see. They will
ask about their parentage. If they hear that
something like this happened in their house,
they will go away…how will society accept them.
What if something happens to the kids also?
When they take the daughter, the mental person
might come near their house. So, they don’t
want to keep any relation – Older Male
When our family member is affected, we feel
ashamed and try to keep it a secret If it's a
daughter, after marriage her husband's family
will tell that he has married a mental. If it's a
daughter in law, she is also taunted. If it's a son,
they won't show him to any doctor. They will be
aware, but will think about others opinions and
keep quiet – Older Female
Possibility of it running in the family
• Limited awareness and ambiguous
understanding of the issue leads people to
believe that it might be genetically
transferrable.
• This severely impairs the chances of getting
married for individuals who’s family member is
perceived to be mentally ill
# a person suffering from mental health
disorder or any of his or her family member is
not suitable for marriage ….
# a person suffering from mental health
disorder brings shame to entire family
22
Stigmas that amplify
the Myth….
Myth 5 | Spending enough time with the affected person also increases the risk of transferring
the ailment to others…
23
“She is unhappy. Looking after her
father and being with him all the time,
she too has become like him. If
someone talks to her suddenly, she
also gets angry then cools down. He
was mistaken, then she calms –
Caregiver, Younger Male
After spending too much time with
them one might turn mental. Seeing
them repeatedly, he might think that
life is only this much, and joins them. –
Older Male
Spending time with a person suffering
from mental disorder is considered
unhealthy
• Spending significant amount of time with those
suffering from some sort of mental illness is
bound to have an impact
• It is expected to affect a mentally healthy
individual in an unhealthy manner
# a person suffering from mental
health disorder shouldn’t be allowed
to mingle with others; specially
children ….
24
Stigmas that amplify
the Myth….
Myth 6 | People suffering from mental health disorder get used to getting help and sympathy
and therefore start acting that way …
25
“Yes, they are lazy; they won't do any work; they
won't like to do anything; they will just sit in one
place and eat on time …also I have seen…
They do not care about what others are saying.
They always think what I do is right…. The
person should do work responsibly. He does
not take interest in the work. He does not have
interest in anything … He does not know what
work to do. He makes mistakes in work. He got
a job of watchman at marriage hall. If someone
scolds him at work, he makes big fuss and
quarrels with them and comes…Still the work is
not complete. It is pending. He does not do it
on his own nor does he do it if someone tells
him to do it - Younger Male
People suffering from Depression make it
a habit and become lazy
• They prefer to stay in their own world as it has
become a habit and they don’t come out of it
even if they can
• Additionally they get a lot of attention and
sympathy which they get used to and therefore
think it is okay to not work and be taken care
of…
# a person suffering from mental
health disorder is selfish, lazy and
doesn’t care/understand how tough
it is for others….
26
Stigmas that amplify
the Myth….
27
Summarizing the attitudes towards Mental health disorders…
Attitudes that are strongly agreed upon
People with mental health problems can’t manage their lives – if they do manage then they’re not unwell
A lot of people with mental health problems are just lazy
People with mental health problems should stop moping about and get out to work like the rest of us
Depression is an excuse for everything
People with mental health problems should snap out of it
If you suffer from a mental illness you are weak
If I talk to someone who has a mental illness I might make it worse
28
Summarizing the attitudes towards Mental health disorders…
Attitudes that are some-what agreed upon
The public are rarely at risk from people with mental health problems
Talking about mental health is important
People with mental health problems are more likely to harm themselves than others
Mental health problems are isolating
Attitudes that are not agreed upon
We shouldn’t be scared of people with mental health problems
Mental health problems are very common
People with mental health problems have brought it on themselves by not taking care of themselves
People with mental health problems can and do recover
People with mental health problems are not stupid
29
CHAPTER 3
…Now let us understand how is the Social
Environment around Mental Health and
what is the attitude of people towards
those suffering ….
Mental Health Disorders attract a multitude of reactions from people ranging from positive to
negative …
30
In Doddaballapura; people mind their
own business; they don’t care others;
otherwise they are at home all the time;
they don’t go out anywhere; they watch
TV; but they don’t try to get knowledge
about this. – Younger Male
Mockery Sympathy
Care
Indifference Fear
Pity Disgust
Negative
Reactions
Positive
Reactions
We give solutions. We try to help them
out. We ask them why they are behaving
in such a way. We give assurance that
everything will be alright. We enquire
whether someone has said something to
them. – Older Female
The ones, who know about it, feel sorry.
People, who don't know about it, think that
they are faking it for gaining sympathy at
home. They think she is faking it to make
them look after her and to change their
minds. - Older Male
Unpredictable behaviour displayed by those suffering and ambiguity around symptoms of a
mental health disorder drives negative reactions ….
31
Limited Awareness about the symptoms
Limited understanding of the symptoms drives people to immediately react back
(many times in anger and disgust). They fail to understand that the individual is
suffering with mental health disorders
Unpredictable behaviour
Unpredictable behaviour of those suffering from mental health disorders generates
fear amongst others. People prefer to maintain some distance as they don’t know
how would this person react. They might instruct their children to stay away from
such people as well
Respondent Speak
32
“Recently I saw person when I was coming from NIMHANS [National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences]. He boarded a BMTC
bus. He was military man. He took voluntary retirement. He was not talking anything. Whenever I tried to talk to him, he said “Don’t talk too
much. Otherwise I will shoot you”. He won’t do anything but he will talk like that.- Older Male
Like Rajesh, we had a guy named Shankru. He studied well. B.Com. or BA. We were classmates when we were younger. I had gone to
my native. I met him and asked if he is fine. He had become mental but I didn’t know that. I was going on my vehicle. I stopped and asked
him are you fine? He scolded ‘l*afer’, directly. I am telling something that happened in real. He wasn’t a friend; he was a classmate. I
asked him if he is good. He told ‘mental’. He is the one who is mental and he scolds me badly. Someone else passed by. I asked him, why
is Umashankar speaking like this. He said that he is mental; don’t speak. – Older Male
Some people think that they are affected by evil spirit or such things. So they think that if I mingle with such person they will also get
affected by such evil spirits. They are afraid that such people will some time become violent and may attack the people. My father is an
example for such situation. My father wanted to beat me he beat my mother. I was taking him inside the house to have his food. But he
does not want to eat. So when I took him inside the house for have his food he took a stick and he came forward to beat me but by
mistake he beat my mother. So such people beat others when they become angry. – Younger Female
Limited understanding of the issue and unwelcoming attitude of family members drives people
to adopt a casual or an indifferent attitude ….
33
Limited Understanding of Causes and Triggers
Ambiguous understanding of the causes leading to mental health disorders
creates misunderstanding at multiple levels – E.g. One might feel a person is
faking things to garner attention
Unwelcoming attitude of family
Many a times people adopt an indifferent and non-interference attitude. This is
because, while they might want to offer help – families of these individuals try
their best to hide the issue and this unwelcoming attitude of family members
puts them off.
Respondent Speak
34
“Many people feel why should I get involved. I have my own problem, why should I worry about his problem. Why should I interfere in
unnecessary things. If I go there he keeps speaking and will not leave me. – Younger Male
Sometimes when there are people in the house they behave properly but as soon as they leave they behave differently. Sundays I cooked
chicken and the smell reached the nearby home and then she started calling us bad words due to it all day. When the daughter and son in
law get the chicken at home and cook that time she does not say anything. I don’t understand her and prefer to stay away – Older female
Some people take offense if we enquire. They will say that you don’t think we are taking care of them, we know very well how to handle
them why do you bother so much? Even if we tell them they will be like everything is good at our place .Sometimes when there are fights
and we ask the next day they answer this way your house has no problems we are having problems that is why we behave this way. We
feel it is better to not interfere, what else to do? – Older female
They will be living in their world. For example, every day before going to sleep we plan for the next day. But mentally ill people won’t have
any plans. They come at whatever time they want. They will wear same dress for many days. They will not talk to us properly. They don’t
want anything in life. If we ask them “When were you born?” they will say “Was I really born?...we wont know how to talk to them so we
dont” – Older Male
However, personal relations and respect for elders in society drive the positive reactions
towards mental disorders….
35
Family
One’s family is expected to be the
primary support system by default.
People are bound to care for people
suffering from Mental Disorders owing to
the strong family ties.
Friends
In many cases family might not be the
only support system. Young males tend to
depend on their friends for support more
as they stay out of the house most of the
times; with their friends who know them
better while interaction with family is
limited to few hours
Neighbourhood
Majority of women having moved out of
their maternal home after marriage, find
solace in sharing their worries and
concerns with other women from their
neighbourhood. There is a sense of care
and concern that exists towards others
living in their area
Respect for Elders in Society
Even if not related directly via family or
friends, there is a basic sense of respect
towards elder members of the society -
this also drives sympathising with those
suffering from any mental health disorders
and providing basic level of care where
ever possible
Respondent Speak
36
“There's a person in my village who is elderly. She went into depression. She was mentally-ill. She would not wear clothes at times and
won't have a bath while on periods. Someone else had to bathe her. She would hit with whatever was near at hand if we tried to talk. She
would add more rice or a full bottle of salt into boiling rice. She is fine but talks or laughs by herself. We try to help her, She eats whatever
we give and if we ask her to do some work she does it without any interest. She is depressed like a very old lady who is bedridden. People
have taken her to see many doctors but in vain – Older Female
Rather than family members, friends will be with him, at least 2 friends will be with him. The people who know which places he like, they
will take him to those places. Whatever he likes to eat, they might take him there to eat that. They will try to understand what stage he is in
and try to look out for hospitals and all that. Mostly friends because family members might not know so much because he goes out in the
morning, he will be back home only in the evening. The entire day he will be friends. If the person stays at home, then family identifies it
first. If he is a person who goes out, then friends will first come to know. - Younger Male
We like to share things. She shared her problems with me. By sharing and talking, solution can be found. But if she keeps it within herself
and thinks of committing a suicide, how will we be able to stop her? There are people with such a mentality as well, but we try to talk –
Older Female
37
CHAPTER 4
Concluding thoughts – on
breaking stigmas around
mental health
It is important to acquire a two fold approach to spread awareness and tackle problems related
to Mental Health Disorders
38
1. Reaching out to the
larger set of audience who
might not be directly
exposed to any mental
health issue
2. Reaching out to a)
people in the social
environment of b) those
suffering from mental
health disorders
1. It is important to reach out to the larger population to dispel myths and stigmas
surrounding mental health disorders. Doing this will bring about awareness and
acceptability…
39
It will create awareness around mental health
as an increasingly more common ailment which
is affecting people everyday
It will educate them that with the right
treatment people can lead a normal and
productive life
It will help break stigmas around mental health
and create an inclusive environment for those
suffering from mental health disorder
1. Therefore, to achieve the desired result it is important to understand what to communicate
and how to communicate it….
40
What should we
Communicate?
How should we Communicate?
1. Acknowledge and accept –
It is normal and affects many
of us
2. Understand & Adapt – It is
important to learn new
information around this and
be willing to let go of stigmas
3. Normalize & Create
conversations – Willingness
to discuss in public; part of
everyday conversations
• Short Term Channels –
• TV, Radio and Newspaper ads owing to
it’s reach; short bursts of repeated
information that is easy to recall
• Street plays that are high on
engagement and crowd pullers;
• Social media; (whatsapp and facebook)
for younger people
• Long Term Channels – Reaching out to
children and educating them about mental
health disorders like the way they are taught
about physical ailments and the importance
of doctors and medical treatment
2.a It is important to reach out to people in social circles of those suffering from mental health
disorders as stigmas affects the entire family/social environment. Doing this will bring about
change in important ways…
41
It will make people understand that if the
problem exist within their social circle; they
must not be dismissed or take it lightly
It will educate them regarding the symptoms
that differentiate a mental health disorder with
situational stress
To guide them with respect to next steps as
most them don’t know what to do.
To generate hope by clarifying that it is an
ailment like any other physical disease which is
treatable
2.a Therefore, to achieve the desired result it is important to understand what to communicate
and how to communicate it….
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What should we
Communicate?
How should we Communicate?
1. Acknowledge and accept
– It is normal and affects
many of us; no point being
in denial
2. Understand and Act – It is
important to take the right
steps; dealing with
constraints
3. Become an agent of hope
and change – Spread the
right information
• Short Term Channels –
• Creating evangelists from local
population who understand and spread
the right information; breaking stigmas
• Street plays that are high on
engagement and crowd pullers;
• Social media; TV, Radio and
Newspaper owing to it’s reach
• Long Term Channels; - Create work
opportunities and skill trainings for those who
have suffered through mental health illness
so that they can lead an independent life
without becoming a burden on families
2.b. Reaching out to those who might be suffering from mental health disorders will help them
in three ways…
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First and foremost it is important to make them
understand that the problem exists; and how
they are feeling are the symptoms that
shouldn’t be dismissed
Secondly, it is crucial to guide them with
respect to next steps as most them don’t know
what to do.
Thirdly, it is of utmost importance to generate
hope by clarifying that it can be completely
cured; and is like any other physical ailment
that requires treatment from a qualified
professional
2.b. Therefore, to achieve the desired result it is important to understand what to communicate
and how to communicate it….
44
What should we
Communicate?
How should we Communicate?
1. Don’t deny it’s existence
2. Reach out for help
3. Stay hopeful
Reaching out to them directly won’t have the
immediate impact as they don’t understand the
symptoms and live in denial
Therefore; it is advisable to reach out to them as a part
of general health check up and awareness camps; to
reach out to those who tend to avoid mental health
camps
- Pamphlets explaining issues and detailing out
symptoms, with helpline numbers for immediate
assistance and counselling
- Social media/TV/Radio ads to create content to
reinforce this message
THANK YOU
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