Although her stay on campus was quite brief, Mrs. Neerja Birla found time in her packed schedule to give a short interview to the English Press Club regarding Mpower. The following is the transcript of the aforementioned interview, edited for length and clarity.

What is Mpower and what does it do?

Mpower is a social enterprise that was started three years ago to create awareness about mental health. I found that the stigma around mental health was so prevalent that people suffering from mental health disorders were not open to going out and seeking help. This was due to two reasons: the lack of awareness about mental health issues, and the lack of acceptance due to the deep-rooted stigma. Mpower has three “umbrellas” or arms. The Awareness arm conducts several events like cycle ride, Art Express (wall art programs), and social media campaigns to create awareness about mental health issues. The second arm is the Clinical arm, which offers psychiatric and counselling services to bridge the treatment gap that exists in the country. The third arm—Outreach—promotes education among people about mental health, through workshops. We have also recently started a fourth arm which focuses on capacity building, wherein our doctors provide training to other doctors who hail from rural or semi-urban areas through an online platform called Echo.

What inspired you to take up the issue of mental health?

I have always been in close contact with kids and through my personal experience, I came to realise that there is a dearth of good mental health services here. People are unable to see the danger signs, and do not know who to contact, or what the right time is to go and see a therapist. These were the reasons that prompted me to start Mpower.

India has been termed as one of the depressed countries in the world. What do you think the reasons are?

If you go down to the basics of mental health, the reasons could be either genetic or environmental. If you have the genetic disposition and are exposed to a stressful environment or traumatic experiences in life, chances are you may develop a mental health disorder. Multiple environmental triggers like exam stress, parental pressure, sexual identification, and body shaming could lead to a neuro-chemical imbalance that causes mental health diseases. 

What are the services that Mpower is going to provide in Pilani? Is the target group just the student body or is it for everybody?

The services are for both students and faculty. We have a full-time counsellor on board, as well as a visiting psychiatrist. I also want to conduct an outreach program which would then reach out to other people in Pilani. 

In its attempts to alleviate the stigma associated with mental health, isn’t there a risk of Mpower attracting stigma towards itself, thereby hampering people from approaching you in the first place?

Initially, we did face this problem. When we first opened a center in Bombay, people were unwilling to come there. It takes time to create a cultural paradigm shift. Now, however, things are getting better. Mpower has opened a center in Goa. Initially, students were unwilling to go to the center due to stigma. But now, there is a waiting time of two weeks. It has really picked up; we’ve seen around 175 patients already.

 In India, there is a competition culture which has increased the suicide rates in engineering colleges. What is your take on that?

Firstly, the youth, being the torchbearers and the changemakers, need to learn that it’s okay to not get what you want. Resilience is key. Youngsters are not willing to take no for an answer. They need to understand that success and failure go hand-in-hand. If you do not do well in an exam, it’s not the end of the world. On a macro level, there should be an increase in the number of institutes and seats for students to get admitted into. This ensures that students don’t have to scramble to secure the top 0.1% grade, the failure in which triggers depression and high suicide rates. Parents need to realise that everyone cannot get into the topmost engineering colleges. You need to have backup plans in place. The number of people who can make it through a plan B or plan C is significantly more than those that get in through plan A. It’s a lesson for the youth, the parents, the institutes, as well as the government. 

What role has social media played in mental health? With the internet pervading all facets of life, do you think it is beneficial or harmful?

Creating a virtual identity is the crux of the problem. Everyone is trying to lead two lives, one virtual and one real. The gap between the two is so wide. Everybody tries to put up posts or images which hint that they’re leading perfect lives. Even I, as a consumer, try to aim for that perfect life that does not exist. Running after this perfect world, people put up a façade about how everything is hunky-dory. Nobody’s life is perfect. Everybody has their own issues. Everybody is broken in some manner and it is okay to accept that. According to me, perfection is a flawed concept. Body shaming and judgmentalism originate from this need to lead a perfect life. I am not against social media. It has proven to be a fantastic way for Mpower to reach out to people. It has its advantages, but it just needs to be used in the right manner. 

Since the time you started Mpower, how successful have you been in encouraging conversation about mental health? What has the outreach been like?

It has been really good. When we first started, there was little awareness about mental health issues, among the general public as well as the media. Gradually though, the media started talking about it. Mental health is taking center stage in multiple forums now. The India Today Conclave held in 2019 had a session on mental health. I am proud to say that Mpower has been a pioneer in bringing the conversation about mental health to the fore. Even the events we organise are seeing a lot more engagement than before.

What is the Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMFHA) program? Should mental health be a part of the curriculum for students?

It is a fourteen-hour program that is accredited by an Australian firm. It equips the learner with the knowledge needed to be the first point of contact for a patient in any mental health-related scenario. It draws one’s attention towards several mental health-related issues, the associated red flags, and what to say and do depending on the situation. Two batches have gone through the program in Pilani and it very well received. I believe that it has to be made part of the normal curriculum. It is a part of the syllabus in the two schools that I run. Just like Math and Physics, they also have a mental health program. It follows a progressive curriculum, starting from Grade 1 and going up to Grade 12.

What are the future plans for Mpower in Pilani?

I hope that more and more students come out with their issues and opt for proper counselling to avoid mental health issues. I really want to conduct an outreach program to get more schools and colleges across Pilani involved with several workshops.