With an aim to reach out to people as well as their community members suffering from depression and anxiety and curb associated stigma, experts here from the sector have joined hands with their counterparts from the US-based National Network of Depression Centers, a non -profit consortium of 25 leading clinical and academic institutes in America.
As a part of the strategy, Indian chapter National Network of Depression Centers India Foundation (NNDCI) has been launched recently. loyola Medicine Psychiatrist Dr Murali Rao, MD who is the founding chair of National Network of Depression Centers - India Foundation explained, “We aim to bring mental health literacy to a population for whom the stigma of depression is the greatest obstacle to seeking treatment.”
Prof. Nand Kumar, Psychiatrist, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, and Vice- Chair of the National Network of Depression Centers - India Foundation added, “One of the major objectives behind establishing NNDC-I is to create scientific awareness about depression among the members of the society including non-mental health medical professionals and people in public life.”
Eminent medical institutes such as National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research and Dr Ram Manohar lohia Hospital have already agreed to join the effort aimed towards building an effective ecosystem to address the current ongoing mental disorder scenario in India, said Dr Kumar.