Bengaluru: Anxiety, depression eating into corporate India, says Study
Bengaluru: Though mental health is a major issue in our country, with many needing clinical intervention, it is often neglected due to poor awareness, social stigma and acute shortage of psychiatrists.
A NGO has pointed out that the problem is acute in corporate India and called for proactive steps by organizations.
The latest National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) revealed that an estimated 150 million people across India need mental health care intervention, both short and long-term.
This is not only taking a toll on individual health, but many organisations are facing loss of productivity.
In a study conducted by 1to1Help.net, a professional counselling company, on ‘The Mental Health Status of Employees in Corporate India,’ that included over 6,000 employees in different organisations, stated that one out of every two employees in corporate India suffers from anxiety and depression.
In order to address this issue, Arogya World India Trust, a non-profit organisation, on Friday urged employers to recognise and address mental health issues at the workplace.
It also stressed the need for companies in India to commit for an extra effort to help their employees cope with mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety, depression and other mental disorders.
Nalini Saligram, founder & CEO of Arogya World, said, “We encourage companies in India to come up with supportive HR policies and ways to encourage employees to speak up and seek treatment. The health of your workforce and of your company demands this. Nothing less than the future and competiveness of India is at stake.”
The NMHS survey also found that for a population of one lakh there are just 0.3 psychiatrists, 0.07 psychologists and 0.07 social workers in the country.
Dr Pratima Murthy Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry & Chief De-addiction Services at NIMHANS said that employees today suffer from various mental conditions such as depression, anxiety and too much stress.
“Not only is this affecting their professional lives, but also their personal lives. I commend the efforts of Arogya World India Trust for taking up this issue. It is time employers take it seriously and work to improve mental health of their workforce. After all there is no health without mental health,” she said.
