Thanks to several portals that give access to counsellors and psychiatrists, seeking help has never been this easy.Experts and founders of the sites swear by it, and those who’ve used the services are thrilled about getting ‘virtual’ help.
CHENNAI: Jayanthi Raman* a 27-year-old corporate employee from the city, had been suffering from clinical depression for years. She refused to take any type of professional help, fearing social stigma and judgement. But in 2015, things changed when she was referred to an online counsellor by a close associate. “I was depressed and it wasn’t because of one specific reason. In fact, I didn’t know what the reason was and I was constantly anxious. Though our society is not open to the idea of people visiting psychologists and psychiatrists, I realised I had to take charge of my mental health and get it sorted before something else happens!”she explains.
According to a WHO report in 2015, over five crore Indians suffer from depression (4.5% of the population). But despite such a staggering statistic, the number of people who seek counselling may be less overall, but it has increased in the last few years. According to a survey by YourDOST.com, a counselling and emotional wellness platform designed to foster mental health, the attitude towards mental health among Indian youth is changing. “A lot of people are seeking counselling and youngsters don’t care about the stigma,” says Puneet Manuja, co-founder of YourDOST.
As depression being one of the key issues for which respondents seek counselling, it also highlighted that about 92% respondents chose to talk to an online counselor. “Usually people don’t opt to meet a psychiatrist or a counsellor face-to-face because of fear of being judged. And also most clinics don’t provide 24*7 services. But online, we have experts ready to talk to patients any time — day or night,” points out Puneet.
The anonymity and confidentiality provided by the online counsellor and the easy access of internet makes it easier for people to seek help. “We have about 20 experts from Chennai who have tied up with us and 10% users are from different parts of Tamil Nadu,” adds Puneet.
Similarly, Lyberate, another app has been a torch bearer in creating awareness on mental health. It has established the trend of online counselling in the country. Talking to CE, Saurabh Arora, founder, Lybrate says, “When Lybrate was launched, the number of interactions that took place on the platform was just a handful. There was little awareness among people and they were also sceptical about consulting a doctor online. Over time, people began to use the platform and saw how seamless, frictionless and convenient it was to consult a doctor and access authenticated medical information.”
Today, virtual consultation has become extremely effective and convenient, given the quality of services offered by these platforms. While there are a number of case studies to quote, Saurabh mentions one. “A patient in Jammu interacted with a doctor in Mumbai without the hassles of travelling to the city. For his health problems, he could connect to the right specialist and seek right opinion at the right time. This builds trust too,” he shares.
As more people are choosing online counselling, these experts opine that even people in small towns have access to the same quality of healthcare as a person living in a metro. “People from smaller towns are also warming up to this type of counselling,” adds Puneet.