As an engineering student of IIT-Guwahati, a classmate’s suicide pushed Richa Singh into mild depression and led her to seek psychological help to overcome the trauma. This made her research extensively on mental illnesses and various therapies available to ease depression. Worried over the alarming rise of suicides and psychological ailments in India followed by the social stigma attached to visiting a psychiatrist, Singh decided to start Your DOST—a website (yourdost.com) and smartphone application—in December 2014. It is an online support network for people to anonymously discuss their problems with qualified and experienced individuals. She was awarded the 2015 INK fellowship this October.
Over 60 experts who are a mix of clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, life coaches, career coaches, neurosurgeons and professionals from premier institutions such as IITs, NITs, IIMs and others are a part of the panel. And the best part about Your DOST is that users can discuss their issues anonymously with their ‘special friends’ without revealing their identity and by simply taking up a name they would prefer. However, the profiles of experts are complete and one can view their degrees, area of expertise, reviews, ratings and more.
“These experts have been picked out after a rigorous screening process and undergo further training as degrees alone don’t qualify a person for such role. Moreover, they should have the adequate skills,” says Singh who is based in Bengaluru. Apart from interns and volunteers, she has an in-house team of 12 to help her. Your DOST is a free application and Singh beams that so far 60,000+ people have benefitted and they do an average of 400 conversations per day. “While some of the experts are paid for their services, there are several who do it for free,” informs Singh.
“It works pretty simple. You sign up, look at the available online counselors and start chatting right away,” says Singh. Your DOST also has discussions by members and posts on mental illness-related information.
Though no credible data is available on mental illness statistics, Singh says that one in four Indians go through some form of depression or the other, and sometimes all it takes to get better is to speak to someone before the situation worsens . “Your DOST’s real strength lies in the fact that while you may not be comfortable talking to family or friends about your professional or personal issues, an expert, albeit a stranger, could preempt the situation and help you come out of it sooner than you expect,” she says, adding that the earlier support system that existed in the form of grandparents and relatives is also on the decline these days. It baffles Singh no end as to why people in the country do not take mental wellness as seriously as physical well-being.
Singh is also quick to clarify that while the ‘special friends’ indulge in talk therapy or minor exercises, they don’t prescribe medications. “If they feel that the depression is really serious, they might recommend an expert they know in the city that the user hails from and leave the rest to the user.”
One can’t help but feel that a personal connect is essential in dealing with mental wellness and online chatting might just be perfunctory. “We are only talking about mild depression here. While five per cent of the population might have the time and resources to visit a professional in person, with smart phones 95 per cent of the population could deal with their issues before things get out of hand,” she says.
The Way to Comfort
■ Log on to the website yourdost.com or download their smartphone application
■ The user can choose from the options to chat online, request appointments and read articles mentioned in the homepage
■ Users can discuss their issues anonymously with their ‘special friends’
■ Complete profiles of experts are provided and can be viewed by users