While searching the latest news on mental health, I came across this video of a speech given at a Ted convention in 2012. In the video, a very prominent psychiatrist by the name Vikram Patel, informs the audience along with the rest of the world about the dangers of mental health illnesses. He believed that the amount of help available for these individuals in the third world countries is the same as in the richer countries. As a consequence of stunning the crowd by stating that 400 to 500 million people on Earth have some sort of mental health problem, he proposed a very important way to change society as a whole. Doctor Patel completed a whole lot of research in his home country India, in Zimbabwe and in the UK. His theory is that because a lot of professional help is not available to all, the people in the community that have a connection with the mentally ill or that are just trying to aid them, should be trained in a simpler way to do so. Dr. Patel decided to coin and explain the term 'Sundar' which in Hindi means attractive. Every letter stands for a way to make the mental health treatment affordable and basically make it close to home. According to him it is important to appeal to the person in need with elements specific to them whether they have a mild or severe illness in order to cure them.
Vikram Patel: Mental Health for all by involving all
After watching the video, I was completely astonished by the amount of change that Dr. Patel brought to specific communities he experimented in. His approach to helping the mentally ill can be life changing and by the percentages he showed, it really was. The word he used stuck with me because as he stated, Sundar is a word that is extremely empowering to all because the people in the communities are inspired to help one another. He is a firm believer that the simple books and techniques are much more effective than the over payed professionals which I think is the case in many other aspects of life. If any styles, steps and simple techniques to curing the mentally ill or just helping them take the first steps to recovery are published, they can heave a significant impact on the entire world.
#4: I thought this article was really interesting and brought up some really good points. I think Dr. Patel's idea is great and could be extremely influential. I think giving people the knowledge about mental illnesses could change lives because it could give people who never had a chance for help, an opportunity to get better. I hope Dr. Patel's plan is something that sticks and spreads around because it is something that can save lives.
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