World Mental Health Day: Healing Minds, Healing Humanity
Siddharth Roy (Civil Engineer), Rehabari
Every October 10, the world takes a quiet pause to observe World Mental Health Day—a day that calls us to look inward, to listen, and to care. It is not just another observance on the calendar; it is a reminder that our inner world deserves as much attention as the one outside.
In a country where people still hesitate to speak about sadness, stress, or anxiety, mental health remains the last frontier of healthcare. We often treat it as a private weakness rather than a public concern. Yet, the truth is universal: there is no health without mental health.
Modern life, with its relentless pace, often leaves little room for rest or reflection. We live hyper-connected lives but often feel emotionally isolated. The pressures of work, financial insecurity, and social comparison—fuelled by digital overload—have made anxiety and burnout familiar companions. It is in this world that World Mental Health Day offers a moment of collective stillness, a space to say, “You are not alone.”
The challenge is vast. India’s National Mental Health Survey in 2016 found that over 10 percent of adults live with some form of mental disorder. But what is more alarming is that nearly 80 percent never seek help. Fear of stigma, lack of awareness, and limited access to care keep people suffering in silence. The walls of shame we build around mental illness often do more harm than the illness itself.
To its credit, India has begun to break those walls. The National Mental Health Programme (NMHP), launched in 1982, and its district-level extension have tried to bring care closer to communities. The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 was a turning point—recognizing mental healthcare as a basic human right and decriminalizing suicide. These were not just legal reforms; they were steps toward compassion and dignity.
In recent years, technology has become a bridge where stigma once stood. The Tele-MANAS initiative, launched in 2022, allows anyone to reach out for help with a simple phone call. More than 1.9 million people have done so already. Behind those calls are voices of distress—and perhaps, relief. When someone listens, healing begins.
The government has also expanded training through institutions like NIMHANS in Bengaluru, the Central Institute of Psychiatry in Ranchi, and the Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health in Tezpur, Assam. Over 42,000 health workers have been trained to provide mental health support. These are small but vital steps toward normalizing care.
Assam’s own journey deserves mention. The state has blended policy with humanity. During the pandemic, when fear and isolation were at their peak, it launched “Monon: Assam Cares”—a telepsychology service that reached out proactively to those in quarantine. The initiative reminded us that healing does not always begin in clinics; sometimes it begins with a phone call that says, “We care.”
The state has since strengthened its District Mental Health Programme, upgraded psychiatric wards in medical colleges, and expanded the reach of Tezpur’s LGBRIMH as a centre of excellence. It has also begun to focus on adolescent well-being and awareness among teachers, police, and health workers. Yet, challenges persist—shortages of specialists, patchy funding, and deeply rooted social stigma.
The way forward must begin where every healing does: with empathy. We must stop seeing mental illness as a flaw in character and start seeing it as a matter of health—no different from diabetes or hypertension. Awareness must move beyond urban conversations to villages, tea gardens, and tribal regions. Help must be available in every language, every district, and every school.
Families must listen with patience. Workplaces must care with understanding. Schools must nurture emotional learning, not just academic success. And governments must ensure that policies translate into accessible, quality care. Mental health cannot survive on good intentions alone—it needs budgets, systems, and hearts that care.
The purpose of World Mental Health Day is not just to talk about illness, but to remind us of our shared humanity. Each of us, at some point, battles invisible storms. What we owe one another is kindness, the courage to speak, and the grace to listen.
When we create a world that treats mental pain with compassion rather than judgment, we heal more than individuals—we heal communities. Because in the end, a nation’s true strength lies not just in its economy or armies, but in the emotional well-being of its people.
So today, as we observe World Mental Health Day, let us remember: healing begins when we dare to talk, to reach out, and to care. For every mind we heal, we move one step closer to a healthier, more humane world.
Because the quiet truth remains—there is no health without mental health.