BENGALURU: The National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) is conducting a public tour of the institute around the theme — Stories against Stigma: A walking tour of NIMHANS — on September 28 to educate and sensitise people on mental health and related issues.
The first public tour was conducted first in 2018 at NIMAHANS. It was attended by 45 people.
“Psychiatric hospitals are no different from general hospitals. They are not mental asylums. The purpose of the public tour is to create awareness about mental health,” said Director, NIMHANS,
B N Gangadhar.
A team of mental health professionals and the faculty of Department of Mental Health Education (DMHE), NIMHANS will accompany visitors and explain to them the various facets of mental health, said
Dr K S Meena, Assistant Professor, DMHE.
The National Mental Health Survey 2016, which was the first comprehensive mental health survey conducted in India, had suggested that while, nearly 150 million Indians need mental health care services, only less than 30 million seek treatment and care.
The reason why most people don’t seek professional help is because of the stigma. “Films and television shows have stigmatised mental health and disorders over the year. This initiative will help in destigmatising the common man’s perceptions towards mental health,” said Dr Meena.
The tour is open to public and will be conducted in two slots on September 28 — between 9:45am and 12:00pm and 10:30am and 12:30pm. Registration fee is Rs 200.
To register for the tour, send a mail to events.mhedu@gmail.com with your preferred time slot or call 080-26995156 from 9:00-4:30 pm.