Dr Premila Webster, Health Lead at the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development, launched the journal supplement “Mental Health in India – Bridging the Gap” bringing together research related to mental health in India in October 2021.
The articles in the supplement explore issues related to public health in India, care-seeking behaviour, stigma, homelessness, and perinatal mental health in India. A final article examines the impact of the pandemic on mental health services from provider perspectives.
The supplement is a product of a mental health conference held in October 2019 at the University of Oxford, co-hosted by the Asian Studies Centre at St Antony’s College and the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development, Somerville College. The conference took a multi-dimensional approach to addressing historical and cultural aspects of how mental health was understood in India. The articles in the supplement were contributed by participants in the conference, and co-edited by Dr Premila Webster.
The supplement is dedicated to former Union Health Secretary, Keshav Desiraju, who sadly passed away in September 2021. Mr Desiraju was the keynote speaker of the 2019 conference and one of the key contributors involved in drafting the Mental Healthcare Act. In his memory, the supplement was launched on World Mental Health Day on October 10.