“Mental Health is a Universal Human Right”: World Mental Health Day at Amity University

Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences (AIPS) in association with Amity Institute of Behavioural (Health) and Allied Sciences (AIBHAS) and Amity Centre for Guidance & Counselling (ACGC), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida campus, celebrated World Mental Health Day on the theme, “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right”.

Highlight the significance of mental health, Dr. N.G. Desai, Senior Psychiatrist, Former Director, Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Science (IHBAS), Delhi, averred, “Mental disorders are very common in the west including the USA but in India only 10-12% of population has mental health problems due to its socio-cultural factors, family bonding, caring nature, and many other factors. Mental distress is an epidemic and a much bigger issue whereas mental wellness is a socio-political phenomenon. The youth should not carry the burden of being young and must raise concerns if they suffer from psychological problems, which are perfectly normal and as important as physical well-being.”

Sharing his views on the occasion, Dr. Sunil Mittal, Psychiatrist, Vice President Constituency Development, World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH) and Head, Indian initiative of the World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH), asserted, “The world belongs to the youth of today and they must come forward and take interest in creating a social awareness about mental health. There can be no better time to talk about Human Rights than World Mental Health Day since mental health is a Human Right for everyone. After World War-II, Human Rights took centre stage and social justice and equal opportunities for all became the order of the day. Therefore, discrimination against people with mental health issues is highly unjust and unfair and they need to be treated as equals.”

Addressing the gathering, Prof. (Dr.) Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, said, “Awareness about mental health is increasing day by day and it is no longer considered a stigma to talk about mental health or psychological problems. During the Pandemic, there was an upsurge in mental health disorders amongst people since the pandemic had a deep negative impact on the minds of many people. Holistic health includes bioth mental and physical health, therefore, one must not shy away from taking professional help in the matters of mental health. Only when a person has good mental health, they are able to think and act in the right manner and take the right decisions.”

Delivering the Welcome Address, Prof. (Dr) Ranjana Bhatia, Head of Institute, AIPS, stated, “One out of every eight persons, suffers from mental health issues. People with mental health problems are often discriminated against and excluded from society. The society ill treats them and perceives mental health as a disease or as a major psychological disorder which cannot be treated. Therefore, there is a need to increase awareness about mental health and treat people with mental health problems at par with others and include them in mainstream society. If a person is vocal about their mental health, it should be considered as completely normal and mental health issues need to be tackled in the same way as physical health issues.”

During the one-day Programme, various Technical Sessions and Panel Discussions were conducted, wherein experts including renowned psychologists, psychiatrists and entrepreneurs shared their valuable insights. Also present on the occasion were Dr. Rushi Tamanna, Director, AIBHAS, Dr. Rajat Mishra, Professor, AIPS, Dr. Harminder Gujral, Head-Consortium, ACGC and the students of Amity in large numbers.