Mpower, a mental health initiative releases Pune Mental health score – 4 IN 5 INDIVIDUALS IN PUNE experience some form of mental health issues this year

Pune: Mpower, an initiative by Aditya Birla Education Trust a mental health service provider that works towards creating awareness about mental health, advocating prevention, and providing services through a multidisciplinary approach, today launched the mental health score focusing on individuals from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The score that took into account online responses by individuals to screen their mental health spectrum, noted that 4 in 5 individuals, which is 80% of individuals in the ‘Deccan city’ have experienced some form of mental health issues. The score also noted that as high as 85% of women and 70% of men in Pune have undergone mental health distress with depression being the commonest cause in women and anxiety and panic disorder largely seen amongst men in Pune. The Mpower Pune mental health score evaluates findings amongst the age group between 18 to 24 years (youth and adolescents) 25 to 40 years (adults and working population) and 60 years and above (geriatric population).

Commenting on the Mental Health score, Dr. Neerja Birla, Founder & Chairperson, Mpower said “At Mpower, we aim to create awareness about mental health concerns in India and provide the right platform to seek help and services for people in need. Through the launch of the city-specific mental health score we want everyone to realize that mental health is not a taboo anymore, it establishes a well-known fact that mental health distress can happen to anybody at any age group and surrounding. The ongoing pandemic and the impact of isolation, instability, and, anxiety, has aggravated mental health issues amongst many of us.  The best way to deal with it is to acknowledge it and seek the right professional help as living with mental health issues not only erodes one’s life of happiness, it also has a negative impact on the economy of the country as it indirectly hampers productivity and growth.”

The Score also highlighted other key insights such as

●        88% of youth respondents between the age group of 18 to 24 years, suffer from mental health concerns in Pune. Some of the major mental health stressors seen amongst youth in Pune are mood disturbances and anxiety, almost 80 percent present with sleep disturbances. Many also suffer from panic disorder, relationship issues like instability, infidelity, abuse, ghosting, open relationships, etc. Nearly 10% of the youth between 18-22 years are diagnosed with substance use disorder. Other common mental health disorders include feelings of isolation which can increase the risk of suicide attempts. Due to vulnerabilities and greater exposure to social media, almost 5 percent of the youth are prone to comparison which leads to issues like eating disorders or body dysmorphic disorder. Lack of confidence seems to be a very common underlying issue followed by self-doubt, guilt and, lack of self-worth.

74% of the working population respondents in the age group of 25-40 years are undergoing mental health concerns. Pune is one of the cities with the majority of the working population. It is also one of the hubs of Information Technology. 80 percent of the population seeking mental health concerns in Pune are from the IT field. 90 percent of the working population present with concerns of stress due to heavy workload and poor work-life balance with a range of somatic issues. Anxiety and panic attacks are very commonly seen in the working class which develop due to work and performance pressure.

The Score also highlighted that Working women are more prone to mental health issues than men as women also need to fulfill the responsibility of children and household along with the work. It is also observed that the help-seeking behavior in women with children is less as there is a tendency to not prioritize mental health. The male-female ratio for seeking mental health help is 70-30 ratio.

50% of Pune’s geriatric population of the 60+ age group may be undergoing mental health concerns. Some of the commonest concerns amongst the geriatric population in Pune are dementia and depression, which affect approximately 25% of the older population. Empty Nest Syndrome is also very commonly seen in the aged population in Pune. Other issues include sleep and behavioral disorders, cognitive deterioration or confusion.

According to Bavitha Thomas, psychologist, Mpower Pune center “Mental health is still seen as a taboo in Pune, though the younger generation is open to seeking the right expert help, there is still a long way to go. Women in comparison to men are more likely to ignore their mental health issues as the stress is more on family and children’s upbringing. Statistics amongst men are also not much different with 49% of men feeling more depressed than they are willing to admit to the people around them and 45% believe mental health issues can be solved on their own. Social norms around gender show that men should be emotionally strong and showing vulnerability is considered non-masculine. Hence, men tend to hide or minimize their mental health symptoms. It is also seen that in the geriatric population there is a huge treatment gap due to negligence or stigma attached to mental health concerns to seek help”.

Psychologist Bavitha Thomas further believes that “Pune may be at the breaking point when it comes to mental health distress and the only way out is to be mindful, aware of one’s feelings and emotions and seek the right help when needed.”

Mpower Centre is open at the Aditya Birla Memorial hospital at Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune and consists of a team of psychologists, psychiatrists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, child, and adult psychiatrists, etc who will offer counseling, therapy, and treatment in a safe and supportive environment. The Pune Center will boast of a 5000sqft facility with 8 consulting rooms and 13 therapy rooms to ensure the patient’s comfortability and that confidentiality is maintained. 

The Mpower Pune Mental Health Score survey is conducted through a 5 min online survey that aimed to give individuals a basic understanding of their mental health based on their own responses. The questions were related to the day to day life, behavioral patterns, overall lifestyle, habits, etc. The questions were designed by experts and professionals to provide a basic understanding & sensitize users on their mental health spectrum and they can accordingly decide to seek guidance from professionals. The survey registered a total of 841 individuals from Pune and was open for a period of one month between February 2022 to March 2022.