HealthEminds and “Live Love Laugh” Foundation have the same goal in mind.
Bangalore – As depression rates rapidly incline in India, HealthEminds and the recent launch of Deepika Padukone’s Live Love Laugh Foundation, look to address this problem.
One of India’s most prominent Bollywood actresses, Deepika Padukone, decided to start a non-profit organization that would focus on increasing awareness about mental health as a major issue in the country, breaking the stigma around it and offering professional support to people affected by mental health problems. The foundation launched on October 10th (Mental Health Awareness Day), and engages with institutions, professionals and other organizations in the field of mental health.
Padukone’s aspiration for “Live Love Laugh” foundation, sprung from her personal experience with depression and desperate willingness to seek professional help to overcome it.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report in 2011, one out of seven people in India or 15 percent of the Indian population, suffered from depression. The statistics worsened in 2015, when one out of five people in India or 20 percent of the Indian population have been projected to be suffering from depression. This upsurge in depression rates among Indians, showcase an alarming five percent increase in just a span of four years.
Today, there are various forms of help and ways of seeking mental counseling. One in particular, the counseling services offered through online platforms/mediums like HealthEminds, which is still a relatively new concept. Clientele results, as well as people’s acknowledgment of the benefits from online counseling, is progressively spreading all throughout India. Launched early this year by Ankita Puri and Dr. Sunita Maheshwari, HealthEminds is gaining rapid traction amongst Indians who are seeking for help online.
The idea is simple, the professionals at HealthEminds, believe that a healthy mind is at the heart of living a healthy life. So, why not start this process, and have the comfort of seeking private confidential consultations without leaving your house.
“HealthEminds allows people to seek help or therapy from the comfort of their own homes,” says Aditi Kulkarni, a psychologist for HealthEminds who works with individuals of all age groups with variety of counseling needs related to relationships, work and self. “For someone who is depressed, leaving home might be a huge task or seem too much of an effort.”
HealthEminds offers its vast options of counseling services to almost anyone who is willing.
“The stress of day-to-day life gets in the way. Working long hours, eating unhealthy food, lack of exercise, finding it difficult to communicate with the people around you all affect your mental and physical health. We believe in a holistic approach and are here to help you,” stated as part of HealthEminds’ mission.
HealthEmind’s holistic approach, alongside, the various types of Online Psychiatry and counseling services, which are integrated with a secure, and confidential video technology platform, is revolutionizing the accessibility of professional mental health services in India.
The online company guarantees client’s privacy, working in compliance with HIPAA client anonymity and confidentiality policies to ensure that all personal and medical health information received is maintained and transmitted through a highly secure environment.
Online counseling services offered by HealthEminds, include stress management, life coaching, professional development, marital counseling, career counseling, nutrition, bipolar disorder, depression, family support, anger management, overcoming addiction and parenting.
Both HealthEminds and Live Love Laugh understand the cultural stigma surrounding emotional healthcare in South Asia. This particular stigma results in one’s individual fear of being ridiculed, ostracized, or simply causing family embarrassment. Sonia Parikh, Stanford University trained adult psychiatrist and co-founder of Savant Care Inc., explains this cultural phenomenon in further detail in her special to India West, “Overcoming Stigmas: Starting the Conversation About South Asian Mental Health.”
“Indian culture tends to conceptualize symptoms like depression and anxiety as emotional reactions to external circumstances, rather than as internal problems that require professional treatment. The mentally ill are often called “crazy,” “mad,” or “weak” within our culture, which makes those with psychiatric problems all that more reluctant to seek not only emotional support within one’s family but also professional treatment in the community. Pursuing psychological services may stigmatize not only the person in need, but the entire family as well, which may jeopardize future alliances for marriage, etc.”
Online counseling is a rather new phenomenon and research now advocates the benefits from it. There are many advantages of online psychiatry and counseling, which include, convenience, tranquil usability, secure and safe confidentially and a holistic approach. However, online therapy is not advisable if you are in acute, self-harming distress.
Contributed by: Fernando Ruiz