An alarm clock that keeps the mind calm and hearty

Keralam Health Minister K. Muraleedharan inaugurated ‘Susmitham – Mind Your Mind, Mental Health Matters’ in Kollam.

Why is it that the care and concern people give to treating an injury, a fracture, or even a common cold and cough is lacking when it comes to treating the mind? When the mind is going through a distressing period, why do people prefer to suffer in silence?

People prefer to suppress emotional distress, anxiety, depression, severe stress or suicidal thoughts because they fear rejection and judgment from society.

But this stigma is one of the reasons why Kerala’s suicide rate – 30.2 per one million population – has always been way ahead of the national rate (12.2). According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, for the year 2024, Kerala recorded 10,865 suicides, marginally less than the 10,972 recorded in 2023.

On World Suicide Prevention Day on Thursday, the state branch of the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) launched the campaign ‘Susmitham – Mind Your Mind, Mental Health Matters’ to open up conversations about mental health to dispel the stigma around mental health that often prevents people from seeking early professional help. The campaign was launched at Government Medical College, Kollam by Health Minister K. Muraleedharan.

“This is not just another awareness campaign. We want to normalize conversations about mental well-being, actively dispel the stigma surrounding mental health and shift the focus from just crisis intervention to encouraging people to seek help early,” said T. Sagar, IPS President, Keralam.

Rather than relying on conventional informational messages or medical terminology, the campaign will use simple, easy-to-understand and accessible communications across print, digital and social media platforms to help people understand that mental well-being is just as important as physical health.

Three columns

The ‘Mind Your Mind’ initiative is built around three core pillars – building community resilience so that promoting mental health and wellness is a lifelong activity; dispelling the stigma and silence surrounding mental health; and suicide prevention by teaching people to recognize distress signals and respond appropriately

By actively promoting mental wellbeing, the campaign aims to increase public mental health literacy, equipping people with the vocabulary to articulate their anxieties as well as coping strategies to deal with them. The campaign thus emphasizes empowering people to manage their minds and emotions, de-stress and take responsibility for their own mental health through community support or clinical interventions.

IPS plans to take on the task of destigmatizing mental health through active communication. A YouTube channel is being developed that will feature candid interviews with mental health professionals as well as individuals sharing their experiences. Such direct messages from individuals dealing with mental health issues have been found to be one of the most effective ways to challenge prejudice.

While destigmatization opens the door to conversation, suicide prevention requires workable protocols. The public should know exactly what to do when someone is in acute distress. The national mental health helpline, Tele MANAS (call 14416 OR 1800-89 – 14416) is available 24/7 to provide free mental health support and advice.

“The state already has a primary care level infrastructure to provide mental health support. This will be strengthened and our members will offer free services whenever needed,” said Dr. Sagar.

Published – 11 Sep 2026 01:06 IST