The mental health burden in India is hard to ignore. Around 197 million Indians live with mental health disorders, yet the country has fewer than 10,000 psychiatrists. Up to 92% of people who need treatment never receive it.
This reporting project, Seeds of Light, explores how communities are building their own responses to the treatment gap.
In a country where faith is central to life and medical care remains out of reach for many, people often turn to faith healing. While faith can be an important source of support, blind faith and superstitious practices can also lead to neglect or even abuse of people living with mental illnesses. In 2001, 28 mentally ill people were killed in a fire at a shrine, where they had been chained.
A short film follows two innovative approaches that bring mental healthcare closer to people—by working with communities and local cultures. One challenges the idea that science and faith have to exist in opposition, while the other offers a glimpse of how care can reach every doorstep.
What can mental healthcare look like when it meets people where they are, and is delivered through trusted members of communities.
