Health Desk, Delhi Magazine: In today’s fast-paced world, physical ailments and injuries are often easy to identify and treat. However, mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and mood disorders can be much more difficult to recognize and understand. Due to a lack of awareness and information, many individuals suffer from these conditions without even realizing it.
Priya Vandrevala, a chartered accountant, once found herself in this situation. Her life took a tragic turn when her uncle committed suicide in 2006, an event that deeply impacted her mental health. This experience led her to confront her own mental illness and find a new purpose in life. Understanding the widespread and often hidden nature of mental health issues, Priya, along with her husband Cyrus Vandrevala, founded the Vandrevala Foundation in 2008.
The Vandrevala Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting individuals facing mental health challenges. Recognizing that many people feel isolated and unable to seek help due to the stigma surrounding mental health, the foundation works tirelessly to raise awareness and provide much-needed support.
The Vandrevala Foundation recently organized free group therapy sessions from 29 July 2024 to 2 August 2024, addressing various mental health challenges. Sessions included
- Mindfulness Mondays,
- Queer Immersion and Overcoming Unhealthy
- Family Relationships,
- Finding Motivation and Purpose, and
- Creative Connection Therapy
- Self-forgiveness and Healing.
In 2009, the Vandrevala Foundation launched its ‘Mental Health Helpline’ in India, offering free psychological counseling and mediation for those struggling with depression, trauma, mood disorders, serious illnesses, and relationship issues. This helpline operates 24/7 and initially provided services in Hindi, English, Marathi, and Gujarati.
Over the past 14 years, the helpline has expanded its reach and now offers counseling in 11 major Indian languages, including Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Urdu. The foundation has provided counseling to over 1 million people, with more than 50% of the conversations now taking place via WhatsApp. One-third of the foundation’s counseling sessions involve individuals experiencing anxiety or suicidal thoughts.
Today, the Vandrevala Foundation employs 150 people and is working to increase the number of counseling sessions from 300,000 annually to 1 million. As mental health awareness continues to grow, the foundation remains committed to helping those in need and reducing the stigma associated with mental illness.