Mental health repository backed by Mindtree, NIMHANS

BANGALORE, INDIA: White Swan Foundation for Mental Health has announced its launch as a not-for-profit organization that will deliver information services on mental health to the people and to provide an information repository in this area.

In its first phase, White Swan Foundation states it will deliver high-quality content through a portal in multiple languages to the youth in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities of India. Eventually, it will serve the information needs of every Indian citizen. The information repository will help patients, their caregivers and the general public in early detection and diagnose, seek remedies, learn about peer success stories, search for professional help and participate in the fight against social stigma surrounding mental health.

"Mental health issues are closer to us than ever before. It is only through access to right knowledge that people will be empowered to take informed decisions on mental health. It is the people who, when they come out of ignorance, will demand better services and proactively participate to create a conducive social environment. White Swan Foundation has been created with the vision of placing in the hands of each citizen of the country access to information on mental health. We hope that with rich content and actionable information, we will be able to catalyze the transformation of the mental healthcare sector in India," said White Swan Foundation Chairman Subroto Bagchi.

White Swan Foundation has entered into a partnership with National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) and as part of the partnership, it will get access to the rich repository of knowledge on mental health that the coveted institution and its distinguished doctors have.

Mental Healthcare sector in India today faces numerous challenges. More than 20 per cent of Indians suffer from one or other form of mental health conditions. For a population of 1.2 billion people, India has only 4,500 psychiatrists. Even as mental health patients and their caregivers face issues related to lack of infrastructure, they also have to struggle with other problems such as widespread ignorance and deep-rooted social stigma, which lead them to a state of self-denial.

As per a press note, White Swan Foundation‘s mission is to ‘deliver information services for mental health and wellbeing'. The not-for-profit organization is founded by several Mindtree founders with initial support from two of its investors.