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mental health

The Modi dyslexia row hints at a much wider stigma

When it comes to dyslexia, there is no shortage of stigma in India. Revealing testimonies from sufferers highlight how often the problem is handled poorly – if it is handled at all. “I felt like the stupidest person in the world growing up,” one sufferer said. “My parents and teachers were terrible to me because …

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India’s seniors are lonely and depressed. How do we address this crisis?

Maya Devi is 85-years-old and living with her daughter in the city of Jammu. But she would not be here for long and soon shift to her younger daughter’s house in Delhi, then soon to her other daughter’s house. This is an arrangement worked among her daughters after her son’s death when her daughter-in-law asked …

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World Mental Health Day: How India is dealing with its silent crisis

Around 150 million Indians are in need of mental healthcare. This is according to government data, which highlighted the significance mental disorders among the population at 10.6 percent. Depression alone affects 56 million people and anxiety disorders affecting 38 million. When experts convened for the third High-Level United Nations Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) last …

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Depression takes its toll in Mumbai – and in India

Mental health is one of India’s most significant public health challenges. 13.7 percent of Indians suffering from some form of mental health disorder. In Mumbai, the scourge of poor mental health is particularly felt among those aged between twenty and thirty according to recent data. Depression affects forty percent of people in this age bracket, a survey …

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The depression epidemic among India’s seniors

India’s elderly population is projected to reach more than 340 million by 2050. Could that result in a new mental health epidemic? New data reveals that 21.9 percent of India’s elderly suffer from depression. This is a much higher rate than the global average. Fifteen percent of the world’s elderly population suffer from a mental …

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Insure the mentally ill, IRDAI orders

The health insurance industry has been directed to cover those with mental illnesses by India’s apex insurance regulator. “Every insurer shall make provision for medical insurance for treatment of mental illness,” the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) told the country’s 33 insurance firms in a circular. IRDAI’s instructions come on the heels …

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Neurodevelopmental disorders affect one in eight kids

One in every eight Indian kids may have neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) such as autism and cerebral palsy, new estimates suggest. An assessment of 3,964 children between the ages of two and nine found almost an eighth suffer from at least one NDD (some may have several). Intellectual disabilities and hearing impairment disorders are the most …

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Mental health of India’s children – and how we can make it better

Children and adolescents constitute about 40% of population of our country. About 12.5% children suffer from psychiatric disorders. Besides them there are other children also who do not fulfil the criteria for disorder but have symptoms of poor mental health and require help. Children suffer from developmental disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Mental retardation, …

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How stigma keeps new moms from getting treated for postpartum depression

By Nimeshika Jayachandran This article was first published on The News Minute and has been republished with permission. When Sharada* had her first child three years ago, she hadn’t expected the turmoil she would experience post-delivery. “I remember looking down at this baby, and just feeling so overwhelmed with sadness. I felt hopeless and I …

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Time for India to deliver on NCDs

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning about the threat of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). India should take note. “NCDs and mental disorders currently pose one of the biggest threats to health and development globally,” a WHO high-level independent commission on NCDs said in their report released on Friday, June 1. It added, …

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