Behind the Scenes/ Parde ke peeche

I take a deeper dive into topics discussed with Anas in the last episode. 

Listen to Anas tell his story about how he experienced mental health care during his college years and what transpired after he left the institutional setting. We talk about community awareness, labels, and quality therapy for those without access! 

Continuing the conversation with Shivangi from last episode, we focus on some quick facts and contextual analyses that can help relate Shivangi's story in the larger socio-political context of India.

Shivangi shares her story and struggles with accessing quality mental health care. She highlights important pitfalls in the mental health care system in India, and discusses what we can do to make it better for those who are struggling. 

In a report on gender equality in the non-profit sector in india, published by Institute of Social Studies Trust, it is stated that despite india’s economic growth, patriarchal binaries continue to define the workplace. The total female labor force participation in India is on 29% (world bank 2010). Moreover, women tend to earn 25 percent less than men in the formal sector in India (2013) and the estimates for the informal sector can only be assumed worse. The non profit sector, which is often perceived as the “domain of women” in India shows UNDERREPRESENTATION of women when it came to managerial positions and above. In the majority of the organisations (50% of the surveyed) women constituted more than 50% of the workforce. However, the find it difficult to provide many of the facilities because of financial constraints.

Violence against children includes all forms of violence against people under 18 years old. For infants and younger children, violence mainly involves child maltreatment (i.e. physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect) at the hands of parents and other authority figures. Boys and girls are at equal risk of physical and emotional abuse and neglect, and girls are at greater risk of sexual abuse. As children reach adolescence, peer violence and intimate partner violence, in addition to child maltreatment, become highly prevalent.

We’re back again with another story about family and mental health. But this one focuses on childhood and the family we grow up with. What happens behind closed doors is sometimes important for the world to see so that we acknowledge that child abuse is not just a family’s “internal matter”.

The World Health Organization (2016) estimated that 35% of women worldwide have experienced some form of violence, with the vast majority of this violence against women being intimate partner violence in heterosexual relationships. The World Health Organization reports that one third of these women (30% of women worldwide) have experienced domestic violence. Culture plays an important role in DV cases in India. Gender roles, in particular, are patriarchal and rigid (Panchanadeswaran & Koverola, 2005). In heterosexual relationships. women tend towards “passive roles” whereas men tend to dominate and control relationships. Marriage is considered a “sacrosanct” union between two families rather than between individuals. In this context, women’s primary roles end up being marriage and motherhood.

This episode focuses on another part of a woman’s life in a heterosexual relationship where she has to leave her current household and change her entire way of living due to the institution of marriage. This ritual is so normalised that many don’t sit to wonder what impact it can have on someone’s mental health, especially if the marriage is arranged, as is the case for Sneha (name changed for privacy reasons).

Swati (name changed for anonymity) chronicles her mental health journey which took a hard turn when her working environment became toxic and she felt cornered in her profession.