To mark World Mental Health Day, observed on October 10, NIMHANS has organised a series of events designed to educate, encourage and support positive mental health and well-being. The theme this year is “Mental health care for all: Let's make it a reality.”

NIMHANS has come up with MindNotes app to help individuals who may be experiencing distress/ common mental health concerns but are unsure about seeking professional help. It has been developed by a team of mental health professionals from the Department of Clinical Psychology and Centre for Public Health at NIMHANS, and International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru, in collaboration with and funding from Microsoft Research India.

The app will be made available on Play Store for controlled release/ early access and testing on October 10 and subsequently will be accessible to the public, free of cost after six weeks.

Space for youth

Besides, a forum for mental health will be launched to provide a safe space for youth to anonymously share their thoughts, feelings and concerns impacting on their mental well-being and receive support from trained peer-volunteers.

A music video Tumhi Saath Rehna Mere in Hindi, a collaborative initiative between NIMHANS and ‘From Mug To Mike’, for the cause of mental health will be released on the occasion. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and State Health Minister K. Sudhakar will launch the initiatives.

Anti-tobacco campaign

A nationwide campaign titled ‘Quit Tobacco, be a Hero’, will be launched by NIMHANS in association with the World Health Organization (India Office). It provides a platform for tobacco users to share their narratives of quitting or attempting to quit through a self-made video. It motivates people to share their quit stories in the form of short videos (90 seconds) on the dedicated website https://www.commit2quittobacco.in The best five videos, picked by a panel of experts, will be awarded prizes.