Mind Games

With greater awareness, mental illness is now being treated seriously. And tech-based ventures in the space are lending a helping hand.

- Naini Thaker

Sachin Chaudhry was distraught to see his younger brother fight a lonely battle with schizophrenia. This was 1994 and there was hardly any awareness about mental health in the country. Being healthy was restricted to one’s physical and social well-being.

The experience prompted Chaudhry, 41, to set up TrustCircle in 2015. The startup uses mobile and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improve emotional resilience. “I realised early on that there are clear gaps in India’s mental health care ecosystem, with a complete disregard for any preventive, participative or protective approach,” says Chaudhry, founder and CEO of TrustCircle. “Why do high-functioning adults not pay attention to our one critical organ: Brain?” he asks.

Chaudhry points out that since we don’t feel the pain of the trauma that the brain goes through, we stop giving enough importance to the vitals that keep it healthy: Emotions.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness describes mental illness as a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. According to the National Mental Health Survey of India, 2015-16, mental illnesses and disorders are caused by a complex interaction of biological, social, cultural and economic reasons.

In India, besides the lack of understanding, there is a stigma attached to mental illness. That apart, there is a limited supply of trained professionals to treat people suffering from it. “People are more comfortable reaching out if there are emotional distress-related issues; if it’s about mental illness, the stigma stops people from opening up and seeking help,” says Tanuja Babre, 26, programme coordinator of Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ (Tiss) iCall, a psychosocial helpline.

Ray Of Hope