Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, ILS, Pune

🌟 Dr Shekhar Seshadri has been awarded the Keshav Desiraju Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service in Mental Health, 2024, for his exceptional contributions to child and adolescent mental health in India. Through a notable career of over 35 years and as former Senior Professor at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Dean and Director, NIMHANS, Bangalore, Dr Seshadri’s expertise spans childhood trauma, gender, sexuality, developmental disabilities and life skills education, with a commitment to public education and capacity-building. Dr Seshadri has been instrumental in policy and legal initiatives, engaging in key discussions on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012, the Juvenile Justice Act 2015, and serving as a working group member of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. He was instrumental in the establishment of the NIMHANS Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Project, which developed into SAMVAD, a unique national initiative and integrated resource for child protection, mental health, and psychosocial care, supported by the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India. Dr Seshadri’s contributions as a public mental health professional and his impactful work in the community, including the use of innovative tools such as art, music and theatre, significantly extending beyond his academic and clinical work, make him a worthy recipient of this award. Jury Members for 2024: Ms K Sujata Rao | Mr Amitabha Bhattacharya | Dr Anant Bhan. #KeshavDesirajuMemorialAward #CMHLPIndia #KeshavDesiraju #MentalHealthPolicy #MentalHealthIndia #PublicPolicy

In a just and equitable world, communities responsibly address the mental well-being of its individuals. Soumya Rajan, our Founder and CEO, will be speaking at the Keshav Desiraju Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service in Mental Health, 2024, organised by Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, ILS, Pune. Keshav Desiraju's contributions to the field of mental health in India have been instrumental as he understood mental health as an issue of social justice and worked to hold the state accountable. Through building the National Mental Health Policy (2014), he emphasised mental health care as a basic right for every citizen. He was the “architect” and “the driving force” behind the country’s Mental Healthcare Act of 2017, widely regarded as a bold and progressive legislation. The virtual award ceremony takes place on Saturday, 11th May, 7 PM IST. #mentalhealth #mentalwellbeing #speaker #award

✨ Keshav Desiraju Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service in Mental Health, 2024 ✨ Join us for the virtual award ceremony on Saturday, May 11, 2024, as we award this year's recipient for their contributions and efforts in advancing mental health in India. The award will honour the recipient with: - A memento & plaque - A citation by the Jury - A cash prize of INR 50,000 👉 Saturday, 11 May 2024, 7 PM IST 👉 Register, here: https://lnkd.in/dAthDEQY Keshav Desiraju's contributions to the field of mental health in India have been instrumental as he understood mental health as an issue of social justice and worked to hold the state accountable. Through building the National Mental Health Policy (2014), he emphasised mental health care as a basic right for every citizen. He was the “architect” and “the driving force” behind the country’s Mental Healthcare Act of 2017, widely regarded as a bold and progressive legislation. Join us as we highlight the pivotal role of those in government service in advancing mental healthcare in India and reflect on Mr. Desiraju's legacy and values of social justice, devotion to societal well-being, and integrity. #KeshavDesiraju #CMHLPIndia #MentalHealthPolicy #MentalHealthIndia

✨ MARK YOUR CALENDARS ✨ Join us on May 11, 2024, as we announce the recipient of the Keshav Desiraju Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service in Mental Health, 2024.   The event will feature distinguished speakers, including close friends and family of Mr Keshav Desiraju as we honour his remarkable contributions and celebrate the impact of individuals in government service who embody his values. Saturday, 11 May | 7 PM IST Register, here: https://lnkd.in/dSis4WNb   Please help us spread the word. Jo Chopra-McGowan | Soumya Rajan | Sujata Rao | Amitabha Bhattacharya | Anant Bhan

🔦 Deadline extended to 11 April 2024. Become a gatekeeper today! Sign up for our online weekend course on how to provide support to someone dealing with suicidal thoughts. 🟡 No prior background in mental health required 🟡 20-hour online course spread over 5 weekends New batch begins: 4 May 2024 Find more details in the attached document or visit: https://lnkd.in/dNSJq6sf #OnlineCourse #GatekeeperTraining #SuicidePrevention #CMHLPIndia

#Vacancy: If you are interested in working on a mental health and suicide prevention project based in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, please check the details in the attached flyer or visit our website. Position: Research Associate Location: Raipur, Chhattisgarh Last date to apply: 10 April 2024 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dP4NmgRt #MentalHealthJobs #JobsInRaipur #CMHLPIndia #MentalHealthVacancies

#NewBlogPost: Interim Union Budget FY 2024 - 25: where does mental health stand? 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dhagkdJd On Feb 1st, the interim budget for FY 2024 - 25 was presented by the finance minister. This is a temporary stop-gap arrangement during election years; the full budget will be released post the general elections. In a nutshell, 1⃣ The mental health budget for FY 2024-25 remains at 1% of the total health budget, mirroring the trend of the last several years. 2⃣ Approximately 90% of the mental health budget is allocated to NIMHANS & Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur, limiting accessibility and local continuity of mental health care.  3⃣ Despite seeing an increase in demand for its services, Tele MANAS struggles with fund utilisation, spending only half of its allocated budget. 4⃣ The budget for the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) is subsumed under the consolidated head Tertiary Care Programme raising concerns about funding transparency. 5⃣ There is a need for financial allocations to support the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and the National Suicide Prevention Policy for effective implementation. Mental health requires a holistic approach with increased and transparent funding, along with government support for education, employment, and healthcare opportunities. Link to blog post: https://lnkd.in/dhagkdJd #KeshavDesirajuIMHO #MentalHealthBudget #MentalHealth #MentalHealthBudgetFY2024 #CMHLPIndia #InterimBudget2024

If you'd like to become a trained 'Gatekeeper' and help prevent suicides in your community, sign up for our online weekend course. A Gatekeeper is someone who: ✅ creates awareness and reduces stigma around suicides, ✅ provides informal emotional support, and ✅ helps connect persons at risk of suicide with appropriate support services The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends ‘Gatekeeper Training’ as an evidence- and community-based approach to suicide prevention. Details: https://lnkd.in/dNSJq6sf #OnlineCourse #GatekeeperTraining #SuicidePrevention #CMHLPIndia

In October 2023, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, New Delhi, released UMMEED - draft guidelines focusing on suicide prevention in schools, inviting comments from all stakeholders. Here are some of our key recommendations submitted to the Ministry ⤵ 1⃣ The draft guidelines should acknowledge and address the systemic and socioeconomic factors that influence suicide, such as poverty, violence, discrimination, etc. to develop more effective interventions for suicide prevention. 2⃣ The UMMEED guidelines should include sections on confidentiality/ privacy of the students and postvention. (Postvention refers to interventions for bereaved survivors, community members, caregivers, etc. to destigmatise suicide, assist with the recovery process to minimise the risk of future suicides due to complicated grief, contagion, unresolved trauma etc). 3⃣ The guidelines should clearly delineate the roles & responsibilities of all stakeholders. Lack of clarity may lead to confusion & potentially inappropriate actions by non-professionals 4⃣ It is crucial to build capacity for suicide prevention in schools. This involves training staff, implementing a positive school environment, and having a well-defined response plan to promptly address students who are at risk of suicide. We appreciate the Ministry's efforts to address the critical issue of suicides in schools and hope our feedback will be considered and incorporated in the final version of the UMMEED guidelines. Link to our policy submission: https://lnkd.in/dh-44Dkp #SuicidePrevention #UMMEED #CMHLPIndia #YouthMentalHealth #PolicySubmission #UMMEEDGuidelines

✨ The ‘Keshav Desiraju Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service in Mental Health’ recognises the contribution of individuals in government service who through their work are making advances in the field of mental health in India. Applications for the year 2024 are now open. Individuals may nominate themselves or others in their network, if they meet the eligibility criteria. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Applicants who meet both of the following criteria will be eligible for the award: 1️⃣ Presently hold, or have held in the past, a position in the Union or State Government by appointment, and 2️⃣ Have demonstrable work or contributions to advance the field of mental health in India The award recipient will be announced on 11 May 2024. More details: https://lnkd.in/dv9JeHcG Please help us spread the word. #KeshavDesiraju #MentalHealthIndia #MentalHealth #MentalHealthPolicy #MentalHealthAwareness #PublicServiceAward #GovernmentServant #GovernmentServices #CMHLPIndia