Giving Compass' Take:

• Global Citizen interviews Ananya Birla, Indian singer, entrepreneur, and mental health activist to discuss the stigma of mental health illnesses and the effects of this stigma on individuals living in India. 

• How does the stigma between countries such as India and America differ? How is it similar? 

• Read about how children living in rural parts of America do not receive enough support for their mental health problems. 

The number of young adults experiencing mental and psychological distress is at an all-time high.

Approximately 15-20% of children and adolescents in India live with a mental health issue. Record numbers are acknowledging that they have engaged in self-harm.

However, despite being faced with that grim reality, young women like Ananya Birla are choosing not to remain silent. As a singer, entrepreneur, and mental health activist, Birla is a multifaceted Global Citizen. An international pop sensation running two businesses, Birla launched a social movement, Mpower, in 2015 to shatter stigma around mental health issues.

There is still a deafening silence around many issues pertaining to mental health. Why do you think this stigma around mental health issues continues to exist?

Globally, depression and suicide rates are on the rise because people are scared to reach out for help as they don’t want to be judged. The stigma around mental health is a global issue, but it is particularly prevalent in India and other developing countries. In India, mental health is rarely discussed, and when it is it’s often trivialised. There is lack of education and awareness of the causes and solutions; particularly in rural areas, you still see parents taking unwell children to temples instead of hospitals.

What do you think can be done to start a healthy discourse around mental health in India?

In India, an increased dialogue will pave the way to better understanding and empathy. It’s about individual people speaking up and using their voice to create cultural change. I think the first step is for high-profile people to normalise discussions about mental health by talking about it openly and shamelessly.

Read the full article about the stigma around mental health by Asmita Joshi at Global Citizen