The future and progress of the country depends on the younger generation. Youth can contribute to the progress of the country with new, innovative and positive thinking. However, the problem of mental illness has taken a toll across different age-groups, especially the youth.
According to the WHO, one in four people worldwide suffer from a mental disorder. Among them, people aged between 10 and 19 years have a 16% share in the global disease burden.
There is no doubt that good mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Many NGOs are working towards the mental well-being of vulnerable children and people from low-income families who don’t have access to mental health care.
Top 5 NGOs in India for mental health awareness
Sangath
Established in 1996, Sangath is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation. It is committed to improving health across the life span by empowering existing community resources to provide appropriate physical, psychological and social therapies. Sangath’s primary focus areas includes child development, adolescent and youth health, and adult health and chronic disease.
Minds Foundation
Founded in 2011, Minds Foundation is committed to eliminating the stigma surrounding mental illness through education, training, and providing access to cost-effective, high-quality care. They bring a preventative approach to decreasing the global burden of mental illness. Minds Foundation has multiple offices in India: Mumbai, Vadodara, Bhavnagar, and Nizamabad apart from a primary USA office in Los Angeles and teams in New York City and Boston.
Miracle Foundation India
Miracle Foundation India is non-profit organisation committed to promoting mental health and well-being of children by cultivating social-emotional development, building life skills, and developing coping strategies, thus preparing them to cope with the stresses of life, achieve their full potential, and live a productive life, from childhood to adolescence, through to adulthood.
Diya Foundation
Diya Foundation was established in Delhi in the year 1993. The NGO is working towards enable differently-abled people and mentally-challenged individuals to lead a life of dignity by training them in different vocational skills and building support systems for them.
The Banyan
Since 1993, The Banyan has developed a variety of holistic mental health solutions that address multifaceted components of distress. This includes emergency and acute medical, psychiatric and psychological care offered through our street-based care and through our hospital settings, shelter-based services, community-based outpatient care and inclusive long term care options for persons with high support needs.
This article is part of a series on #mentalhealth in the run-up to World Mental Health Day 2020
