MINDing Mental Health

The beats of a dangoora (traditional drum) broke the quiet of the night in Balichakra village of
Yadagiri district, calling people to hear the news. The drummer invited the villagers to learn and
discuss mental well-being the next day in their Gram Panchayat (village administration) office. Thus, the 57 villagers who assembled there heard of World Mental Health Day for the first time ever on 10 October 2024, thanks to the local Don Bosco organisation and the BREADS-supported MINDSinitiative in six districts of Karnataka. Similarly, a walkathon drew around 75 townsfolk to Obbava Circle in Chitradurga to watch an interesting skit and enjoy a lively flash mob by the local Don Bosco College students: both
communicating the importance of mental health. An awareness programme for women’s self-help groups extended their initiative. A focused mental health awareness programme in Musturu village of Raichur district aimed to equip 35 health (ASHA) workers and local community members with the knowledge and resourcesnecessary to support mental well-being within their communities.In Bangalore city, MINDS staff conducted a mental health awareness programme in the Koramangala PHC for 23 prenatal and post-natal women. They also addressed the unique mental health challenges of 120 children affected and infected by HIV, in the Daya Bhavan Group of Charitable Institutions, to foster a supportive environment for their healing and growth.
In Danayakanakere village of Vijayanagara district, 100 children participated in a fun, nformative quiz competition on mental health and then went around the village in a procession to spread awareness about mental health to the community. Facilitated by the MINDS staff, 65 youth in Bidar came together to discuss and share their mental health concerns and learn about available resources that could support them.
India is known as the suicide capital of the world—171,000 people died by suicide in 2022—and
rates have been increasing among adolescents in recent years.  The most reported risk factors for them were mental health problems (54.28%), negative or traumatic familiar issues (34.28%),
academic stress (22.85%), social/lifestyle factors (20%), violence (22.85%), economic istresses (8.75%), relationship factor (8.75%).
As a proponent of child rights and youth wellbeing, BREADS has started to address these issues
through a Mental health Initiative for Nurturing Development and Support (MINDS) for this vulnerable population. Spread across six districts in Karnataka— Bangalore, Chitradurga,
Vijayanagar, Yadagiri, Raichur and Bidar—MINDS will raise awareness about the importance
of mental health among children, parents, teachers, and mental health professionals,
working to remove the stigma ascribed to it, to create a supportive environment. A network
of counselling centres at Don Bosco Institutions will offer much-needed psychological and
mentoring support.
Like the beats of the dangoora, BREADS hopes to awaken people to the need of promoting
mental health in their homes and communities, to improve their quality of life, and save
young people from depression and despair.