“What Mental Health needs is more sunlight, more candor and more unashamed conversations, ~ Glenn Close”
In an age where mental health awareness is growing rapidly, India has seen a rise in influential voices advocating for mental well-being. This article aims to talk about a few such influencers who are playing a huge role in increasing mental health awareness in India through their social media platforms. In the digital age, where a wide range of information is available at your fingertips, it’s important to follow reliable and knowledgeable influencers. Here are a few influencers you should consider following on social media:
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Divija Bhasin
Divija Bhasin, who goes by the name @thefriendlycouch on Instagram, is one of the first mental health content creators in India. She started posting mental-health-related content during the pandemic. Her content mostly focuses on busting myths related to mental health and therapy while also educating her followers by providing authentic and factual information about the same. Through her page, she aims to diminish the stigma around mental health by presenting her content in a fun and relatable manner.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/thefriendlycouch/?hl=en
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Dr. Meghna Singhal
@TheTherapistMommy, or Dr. Meghna, is one of the top mental health content creators in India, with over 80k followers on Instagram. Her content centers around issues faced by couples in marriages and romantic relationships. Additionally, she also talks about self-care and parenting. Her posts aim to help parents navigate the ups and downs of raising kids while taking care of their own mental health. Her mission is to guide parents in raising emotionally intelligent children.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/thetherapistmommy/?hl=en
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Urveez Kakalia
Urveez has an Instagram page named @Imperfect_Psychotherapy, through which she talks about mental health. What makes her content unique is the wide variety of topics she covers through her posts. On her page, she talks about anxiety, work stress, insomnia, the LGBTQIA+ population, and art therapy, to name a few. Some of her posts also center around providing tips and guidance to young therapists. Apart from posting about mental health, she also provides her followers with book reviews and recommendations.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/imperfect_psychotherapy/
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Anitha Dubal
Anitha runs an Instagram handle by the name @themindbodyfoundation through which she talks about the mind and body connection. With her expertise in somatic and relational therapy, most of her content centers around trauma and the effects of trauma on an individual’s mind and body. Apart from trauma, she also talks about relationship issues, self-care, procrastination, etc. Her content is delivered through small videos where she explains concepts in a comprehensible manner.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/themindbodyfoundation/?hl=en
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Saumya Garg
Saumya is a practicing psychologist and a queer-affirmative therapist. She aims to spread mental health awareness through her podcast, ‘Inside Out With Saumya’. Saumya says that the podcast is for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of life. On her podcast, she hosts experts from varied fields like mental health, yoga, music, nutrition,etc. By collaborating with professionals across multiple fields, Saumya aims to provide her audience with a diverse and holistic view of mental health. Another aim of the podcast is to provide free resources and make mental health more accessible to the general public. She has recently started her YouTube channel with the same name.
Podcast Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/7BaWb4z2PtW6qxaIkz2XEq?si=WyzZsQgOQoe1rjqbAJCBGg
YouTube Link:https://youtube.com/@InsideOutwithSaumya?si=lDrTHOLiIiYxeTK6
Conclusion:
Mental health awareness and psychoeducation are the needs of the hour in India. The rise of reliable mental health influencers is one of the positive steps in that direction, but we need more mental health professionals to come forward to not only educate people about mental health but also to break the stigma surrounding it.
References:
- Indian mental health influencers to follow in 2023 | MyndStories. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2023, from https://myndstories.com/features/indian-mental-health-influencers-to-follow-2023/
- psychology | Choosing Psychology Is Not Always About Scope But Passion, says Divija Bhasin—Telegraph India. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2023, from https://www.telegraphindia.com/edugraph/career/choosing-psychology-is-not-always-about-scope-but-passion-says-divija-bhasin/cid/1903822
