Dear Suneel Vatsayan,
We
wish to express our heartfelt thanks for taking your valuable time out from your
busy schedule to be our guest expert at the studio for the recording of the
‘Mann Ki Baat’ episode for Doordarshan. Your informed contribution and personal
inputs would only add to the richness to the content of our program.
With
your continued support we hope to get our messages on mental health issues
across to millions of households. Doordarshan is resuming telecast of Mann Ki Baat
series from 5th May onwards on DD National channel every Saturday at
8.30 a.m., to be retelecast every Monday at 8.30 a.m. Your episode’s telecast tentative date
is 23.06.2012 on Caregiver's
Stress.
Thanks
once again.
Warm
Regards,
Sujatha
and Avdesh Sharma
Mind
Vision Enter MANN
KI BAAT
Series focuses on
Contemporary Psychosocial Mental Health Issues
‘Mann Ki Baat’-
Doordarshan’s series on psychosocial and mental health issues is being telecast
from 5th May onwards on DD National channel every Saturday at 8.30
a.m., to be retelecast every Monday at 8.30 a.m.
The content for the series has been developed by Dr. Sujatha D.
Sharma, a clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience who has also
scripted several other television series on mental health in the past. Dr. Avdesh Sharma, an eminent
psychiatrist is the Director and Expert anchor of the series. Dr. Avdesh Sharma
has anchored and directed numerous health programs for the electronic media for
over 30 years. Ms. Kanupriya, a well known media personality for nearly two
decades, is the Anchor of the series.
About 1/4th of the population can suffer from a mental
illness once in their lifetime and about 10% suffer from psychological distress
at any given time. The psychosocial and interpersonal problems on day-to-day
basis affect us all, reducing efficiency and causing untold emotional burden.
The need is not only to overcome negative states but promote positive mental
health for individuals, family and society. Caring for our mind is our greatest
responsibility to ourselves.
Today, we are increasingly aware of the psychological havoc created
by pressures in our lives due to breakdown of social norms, increasing
competitiveness, degradation of moral and ethical values and loss of faith in
human relationships. The results
are there to see – stressed out individuals with chaotic life styles, struggling
to cope and feeling helpless and alienated in their own homes, families and
communities.
The number of trained mental health professionals in the country is
only around 7000 to 8000 (about four thousand psychiatrists, three to four
thousand trained clinical psychologists and social workers) whereas the actual
need (as estimated by World Health Organization) is about 100000. These professionals are also mostly
located in the metros and cities and involved largely in the treatment of severe
psychiatric illnesses. The need of
the hour is to reach the masses, to all age groups, from varied backgrounds, not
only for reduction of distress but also promotion of mental health.
It is thus so crucial and important to recognize early signs of
psychological distress and address them immediately through self-help or seeking
outside help. Better still would be
for a person to talk over, share and communicate his or her feelings, conflicts,
problems or dilemmas with others around, who are sympathetic listeners and
caring well wishers. This way, an emerging psychological problem can be
addressed in a timely manner and resolved early. Television, especially Doordarshan, with
mandate for social change through infotainment is the best way to make a
difference.
Mann
Ki Baat
offers the platform to create awareness for mental health issues – both
the ordinary ones that affect our daily lives and the not so ordinary one that
may not directly affect us but someone we know or care for.
The issues taken up as stand alone episodes are varied – they cover
problems of the elderly; psychological distress related to trauma &
accidents; coping with disabilities, chronic illness and care-giving. The topics include – Aggression, Road
Rage, Psychological Aspects of Accidents, Coping with Trauma and Disasters,
Bereavement, Occupational Stress and Burnout, Disabilities and Mental Health,
Coping with Chronic Illnesses, Caregiver’s stress, Aging and Mental Health,
Memory Impairment and Dementia,
Elder Abuse, Gender Discrimination, Single Parenting, Adoption etc. The series would subsequently take up
special areas of children and adolescents within family and in the society;
managing emotions and positive mental health.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Avdesh Sharma
Dr. Sujatha D.
Sharma