Proposal: IIT-Kharagpur’s ‘Campus Mothers’ Proposal Risks Reinforcing Gender Stereotypes in Mental Health Support
Proposal:
IIT Kharagpur plans to launch a “Campus Mothers” program, appointing female mentors from among faculty and staff to provide informal emotional support to students.
Objective:
To offer compassionate, informal mental health support and build a nurturing campus environment amidst rising student distress and suicides.
Current Context:
- Mental health issues and student suicides have increased in premier institutes like IIT Kharagpur.
- The institute has already taken steps like easing attendance norms and introducing AI-based mental health tools.
Criticism:
- The initiative is criticized for reinforcing gender stereotypes by assigning caregiving primarily to women.
- Concerns about placing emotional labor disproportionately on women who already balance multiple roles.
- Risk of substituting necessary structural mental health reforms with symbolic gestures.
- Informal mentorship might lack professional training and confidentiality, potentially leading to moralizing or breaches of trust.
Calls for Improvement:
- Advocates suggest an inclusive model involving trained mentors of all genders.
- Emphasizes the need for professional, ethical mental health support services.
- Encourages viewing emotional intelligence and care as universal values beyond gender roles.
WHO Definition of Mental Health
Mental Health is:
- A condition of well-being where every individual can:
- Reach their full potential
- Manage everyday pressures effectively
- Engage in productive and fruitful employment
- Contribute meaningfully to their community
Key Emphasis:
- Mental health involves more than just the absence of mental illness or impairments.
Significance:
- It is a fundamental human right.
- Essential for socioeconomic development.
- Crucial for communal and personal growth.
Mental Health in India: Key Statistics
Burden of Disease:
- Mental health issues contribute to 2,443 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost per 100,000 population.
- Age-adjusted suicide rate stands at 21.1 per 100,000 people (latest WHO data).
- Other sources cite an age-adjusted suicide rate of 10.9 per 100,000 population, indicating variation based on region and reporting.
Economic Impact:
- The projected economic loss due to mental health conditions from 2012 to 2030 is estimated at USD 1.03 trillion, reflecting the massive socioeconomic burden (WHO India).
Prevalence of Mental Morbidity:
- Higher in urban metro regions (13.5%) compared to rural areas (6.9%) and urban non-metro regions (4.3%).
- According to the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2015-16, 10.6% of adults in India suffer from mental health issues.
Primary Factors Influencing Mental Health Problems in India
1. Biological Factors
- Genetics: A family history of mental illnesses like depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder increases vulnerability.
- Physical Health: Chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular illness) and neurological disorders (e.g., epilepsy) can negatively affect mental well-being.
- Neurochemical Imbalances: Changes in brain chemistry, such as serotonin or dopamine deficits, may contribute to mental health disorders.
2. Psychological Factors
- Early Life Experiences: Childhood trauma, abuse, neglect, or adverse experiences can create long-term psychological effects.
- Personality Traits: Traits like high neuroticism or low resilience increase susceptibility to anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders.
- Cognitive Patterns: Negative thinking styles and poor coping mechanisms can worsen mental health.
3. Environmental Factors
- Socioeconomic Status: Poverty, unemployment, financial insecurity, and lack of education increase stress and risk of mental illness.
- Social Support: Strong family ties and community support serve as protective buffers, while social isolation exacerbates mental health issues.
- Exposure to Trauma: Experiences of violence, natural disasters, displacement, or domestic abuse have severe psychological impacts.
- Access to Healthcare: Limited availability of mental health professionals, stigma, and affordability issues hinder diagnosis and treatment.
- Urbanization & Lifestyle Changes: Rapid urbanization and changing social structures create pressures and alienation.
4. Lifestyle Factors
- Substance Abuse: Alcohol and drug use can trigger or worsen mental illnesses, impair judgment, and disrupt social functioning.
- Diet and Physical Activity: Poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyles are linked to increased depression and anxiety; regular exercise promotes mental well-being.
- Sleep Quality: Chronic sleep deprivation or disorders like insomnia significantly affect mood, cognition, and emotional regulation.
- Chronic Stress: Persistent stress from work, relationships, or social pressures can lead to burnout and psychiatric conditions.
5. Cultural and Societal Factors
Cultural Beliefs & Stigma: Mental illness is often misunderstood or stigmatized, leading to denial, delayed help-seeking, and social exclusion.
Discrimination: Marginalized groups (based on caste, gender, sexuality, religion) face additional psychological burdens from discrimination and exclusion.
Gender Roles: Traditional expectations can restrict emotional expression, especially among men, leading to unaddressed mental health issues.
Media Influence: Sensationalism and misinformation may worsen public perceptions or increase anxiety around mental health.
6. Situational Factors
Educational Pressure: High academic expectations and competitive environments contribute to stress and anxiety among youth.
Workplace Stress: Job insecurity, long hours, and lack of work-life balance add to mental health challenges in working adults.
Technology & Social Media: Excessive screen time, cyberbullying, and social comparison can negatively affect self-esteem and increase loneliness.
Key challenges hindering mental health resolution in India
1. Challenges Faced by Patients
- Stigma & Social Isolation: Many avoid seeking help due to societal stigma, causing shame, secrecy, and loneliness .
- High Treatment Costs & Discontinuation: Therapy sessions often cost ₹500–2,000 each, leading to financial strain. Over time, lack of funds forces many to discontinue treatment .
2. Inadequate Infrastructure & Human Resources
- Severely Limited Hospital Beds: India has just ~1.43 psychiatric beds per 100,000 population—far below both low- and high-income countries
- Critical Shortage of Mental Health Professionals: Only ~0.7 psychiatrists, 0.15 psychologists per 100,000 people—WHO recommends at least 3 psychiatrists per 100,000 .
- Poor Training & Rural Reluctance: Limited psychiatric education, hesitation to work in rural areas, and inadequate PHC training hinder service delivery .
- Lack of Rehabilitation Resources: Rehabilitation and community reintegration services remain scarce across India .
3. Systemic & Administrative Shortfalls
- Funding Constraints & Mismanagement: Despite mental health needing ₹93,000 crore, allocations remain under ₹1,000 crore. Tele-MANAS and DMHP suffer from drastic under-spending—only ~38–40% of funds utilized .
- Poor Inter-Ministerial Coordination : Lack of centralized leadership and blurred roles across health and social welfare ministries impede cohesive action .
- Urban–Rural Disparity : Most resources are urban-centric, leaving rural populations underserved and with limited access .
4. Additional Barriers
- Treatment Gaps & Delays : Up to 85% of individuals requiring mental healthcare do not receive it, often delaying treatment by over a year .
- Overloaded Public Mental Health Infrastructure: Many specialist units are outdated, overcrowded, and lacking basic amenities .
Government Initiatives to Address Mental Health Problems in India
1. National Mental Health Program (NMHP) – 1982
Objectives:
- To ensure the availability and accessibility of minimum psychological health care for all in the foreseeable future, particularly to the most vulnerable and underprivileged sections of the population.
- To encourage the application of psychological health knowledge in general healthcare and in social development.
- To promote community participation in psychological health service development and to stimulate efforts towards self-help in the community.
2. District Mental Health Program (DMHP) – 1996
Key Components:
- Early Detection & Treatment: Identification and timely intervention in mental illness.
- Training: Short-term training to general physicians for diagnosis and treatment of common mental illnesses under specialist guidance. Health workers are also trained to identify mentally ill individuals.
- IEC (Information, Education, Communication): Public awareness generation.
- Monitoring: Simple record-keeping for better tracking and service delivery.
3. Mental Health Care Act – 2017
Key Provisions:
- Rights of Individuals: Guarantees the right to access psychological healthcare and treatment.
- Advance Directives: Allows individuals to make advance directives regarding their treatment preferences.
- Decriminalization: Decriminalizes suicide and prohibits the use of electroconvulsive therapy without anesthesia.
- Psychological Health Review Boards: Establishes boards to safeguard the rights of individuals with mental illness.
- Insurance Coverage: Mandates insurance companies to provide coverage for psychological health treatment.
- Psychological Health Facilities: Promotes the establishment of psychological health services and facilities.
- Prohibition of Inhuman Treatment: Prohibits the use of seclusion and chaining of mentally ill individuals.
4. Tele-MANAS (Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States) – 2022
Launched by: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in October 2022
Purpose:
- To provide free tele-mental health services across the country, round the clock.
- Specifically aimed at catering to people in remote or under-served areas.
- Toll-free helpline: 14416
- Free, 24/7 service in 20 languages
5. eSanjeevani – 2019
A web-based teleconsultation service by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Two Modes:
- Doctor-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani)
- Doctor-to-Patient (eSanjeevani OPD): Rolled out during COVID-19 for home-based consultation.
6. NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences)
- Institute of National Importance under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Provides psychosocial support and training through the iGOT-Diksha platform.
7. Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres (HWC) Scheme
- Mental health services included under Comprehensive Primary Health Care.
- Operational guidelines issued for managing Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use (MNS) disorders at HWCs.
8. Kiran Helpline
- 24/7 toll-free helpline for people
Policy Recommendations on Mental Health in India
1. Strengthen Human Resources
- Increase the number of psychiatrists from 0.75 per lakh (2021) to meet the WHO norm of 3 per lakh population.
2. Monitoring and Evaluation
- Regularly assess programme effectiveness by collecting feedback from users, professionals, and stakeholders.
- Make necessary adjustments to ensure mental health services meet the needs of a wider population.
3. Community-Based Support
- Promote peer support networks, self-help groups, and community-based rehabilitation programmes.
- These efforts aid in de-stigmatization and create a sense of social inclusion and belonging.
4. NGO Collaboration
- Partner with NGOs to scale up mental health initiatives.
- Collaborate to share knowledge, leverage resources, and strengthen policy design and implementation.
5. User Involvement in Governance
Involve people with lived experiences of mental health issues in:Decision-making, Service planning, Advocacy efforts. This ensures more person-centric and recovery-oriented mental health services.
6. Standardization of Services
Create uniform guidelines for the delivery of mental health services across government and private sectors.
7. Mental Health in Education
Integrate mental health into school curricula:
- Develop age-appropriate modules for students and teachers.
- Encourage early intervention, positive language, and community engagement.
- Balance the impact of technology on student well-being.
8. Community-Centric Approach
- Adopt a bottom-up, whole-of-community model to break stigma and build mental health awareness at the grassroots level.
