World Mental Health Day 2020 – Startup United We Care says it’s #TimeToOpenUp

United We Care has launched a campaign called #TimeToOpenUp for World Mental Health Day 2020. The campaign will comprise of a series of initiatives including awareness posts displaying the Green Ribbon tag on social media, interesting discussions and a panel with experts.

United We Care is an app-based platform that integrates social, mental, and legal support systems for men, women, youth and children and LGBTQ community. The brand has brought together influencers, entrepreneurs, and experts such as Sarvesh Shashi, CEO and Founder, SARVA Yoga; Tanya Patel, Counselling Psychologist; and Nina Kler, Mental Health Advocate for the campaign. They will share their views as also answer questions around mental health.

According to The Lancet, depression is the leading cause of mental health-related disease burden globally, affecting an estimated 300 million people worldwide. The proportional contribution of mental disorders to the total disease burden in India has almost doubled since 1990. The recent pandemic has exacerbated this situation further.

United We Care’s campaign aptly called #TimeToOpenUp assumes importance in this light since it will raise awareness around removing stigma, and being empathetic towards people with this condition. The brand wants to ensure that mental health remains a subject of discussion and help in finding solutions to the crisis going forward as well.

Apart from raising awareness around mental health issues, which is the first step, United We Care’s campaign #TimetoOpenUp aims to help people understand and recognize signs of these conditions. Open conversations can happen only when the stigma is removed and people facing these issues are able to open up to others without the fear of being judged.

Shumita Kakkar, Founder and CEO, United We Care, said, “The importance of mental health awareness has multiplied today, especially due to the uncertainty of the ongoing pandemic. As a startup working in this area, it only seemed pertinent to launch the campaign #TimeToOpenUp’ with the help of like-minded stakeholders and through initiatives that connect with the masses. We must care for mental health as much as any other issue, and give it the same priority as physical health. Only when there is scope for people to open up will there be more conversations around these conditions and removal of stigma.”

A high-power panel discussion is being organized as a part of this initiative. The interactive sessions will focus on the importance of counselling, overcoming mental health challenges, among other aspects.

The startup is also investing in a virtual health AI-based assistant – Stella whose purpose is to turn negative feelings into positive conversations. Going beyond the typical bots that greet users before offering to connect them to an expert, Stella is envisaged to converse with them, understand how they are feeling and provide inputs or suggestions based on their past data.

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