"Log Kya Kahenge" Is The Killer Of Most Attempts For Seeking Help: Saloni Malhotra

Owing to fast moving lifestyle, poor food quality and a constant struggle to take out time for upkeep of our physical health and the pressure to do well, wellness has taken an entirely new meaning for the current generation. It’s no more just about having a fit body. It’s also about having a healthy and happy mind. The mental health scenario of India is not so encouraging. While there are efforts to create meaningful awareness about this largely stigmatized segment of health industry from the government, the gap between demand & supply is still a very deep hole to fill in. The quality and number of places needed are few and far between. 

Mental health crusader, early interventionist and founder of Reboot Wellness Saloni Malhotra realised the importance of being present at a very young age.

Saloni's parents encouraged family meals, being mindful and connected from her childhood days. Even today, despite the entry of devices and multiple distractions, they put their phones on charge at a multi-pod charger at meal time and “Recharge their phones while rebooting their day” much like what she does at Reboot Wellness- renewing for wellbeing.

In a conversation with BW Businessworld, Saloni shared her views and insights on the mental health scenario and the aspirations that she has for the gaping hole in this sector.

What stops people from reaching out for mental help? How can one change this mindset?

We know people don’t want to talk about their mental health issues or mostly, a lot of us are not even aware of the demons that destabilize our mental health. The best and we believe, the only way to remove the stigma around mental health is to talk about it. Creating awareness about an issue, which is generally brushed under the carpet is not an easy task. However we are ready for the challenge and realize that this will need immense support from the mainstream media as well as people of reach & influence. It’s quite important that people who carry an influence in lives of common people like sportspersons, celebrities and executives from the world of business, speak about the issues they have faced openly. It gives confidence to many who idolize them.

How do people normally deal with mental health issues?

Reaching out for help in health industry has always been the last mile resort for most people in India. Even for physically impacting ailments, a person walks up to a hospital only when the condition goes beyond their control. The first port of call for most people in India is over the counter medication. And this is the scenario for issues and diseases where a person can be limited from their usual work routines and the problem or its symptoms are mostly visible on the body. Think about the ailments where neither the issues nor the symptoms are visible to anyone. The symptoms are mostly behavioral and the problem sits inside the mind of a person. We mostly brush off early symptoms as bad moods, poor attitude, lack of will-power. On top of that, there’s this stigma around reaching out for help when it comes to mental health issues. The common phrase that says – “Log kya kahenge (What will people think about me)?” is the killer of most attempts for seeking help. The common ideology that anyone suffering from a mental health issue has gone mad is again a very big limiting factor among the lower income and less educated strata of society. And last but not the least, the non-availability of mental health care facilities and practitioners, is a huge limiting factor for those who want to seek help, but can’t.

What is the government doing in the mental health space?

The government with its Mental Health Bill of 2017 provides a comprehensive legislation for state health care facilities, spells out rules and protects the rights of persons with mental illnesses in India. This is a significant push towards mental health scenario in a positive direction and with this recognition to the wellness sector, all of us hope to see the growth of the sector, from both a patient & service provider’s perspective. However, looking at a recent decision by the government to shut down several de-addiction centers in Delhi-NCR citing lack of guidelines and regulations, this growth seems to have taken a major roadblock. The government seems to have started the task of reducing the stigma around mental health and not infantilized those suffering from mental illnesses.

What is the overarching mental health scenario today and what set you off on the journey to start reboot wellness?

Look at the lifestyle and gifting patterns of not just the new generation, often called as the millennials, but also the older generation, which has very well upgraded itself to the newer arrays of life. As kids, we have seen our parents taking fruit baskets and sweets to people’s houses when we visited them. While what’s being carried these days are bottles of wine and packs of (weed) joints. And, this quite clearly indicates the reason for the dysfunctional society that we all are a part of these days. People in old age, post-retirement are not as healthy as our previous generation used to be. They not just suffer from chronic illnesses but also a deep sense of loneliness and pointlessness in life. The working segment in their 30’s & 40’s is constantly under immense pressure & stress to perform and outperform to be the best. The youth of today is just all over the place with this constant desire and urge to experiment with life as well as various easily available substances. 

With almost everyone around us besieged with one or the other factors leading to various formats of addiction and mental health issues, the motivation to start Reboot Wellness was quite obvious. It was to bring in the aspect of mental health into mainstream. The fact that our society needs mental health care as easily available as a general physician, is the driving force behind Reboot Wellness. 

What is the framework within which Reboot Wellness works?

Reboot Wellness works on an inclusive and easily adaptable framework of bringing together everything needed in mental health space together under one roof. Right from psychiatrists to psychologists and peer-support groups, we have it all. Reboot tries to address the core issues which need immediate attention like chronic cases of schizophrenia, bipolar, addiction amongst others etc and follow it up with a maintenance approach with continuous counselling and peer-support group program.  In addition, we also encourage care for the caregivers and helping them learn new skills to empower them. 

What differentiates reboot?

Reboot is not just about counselling. It is an eco-system that provide something for those dealing with a mental health crisis as well as their caregivers. Think of it as a gym for mental health where you enjoy hanging out and learn about tools that can get you back on your feet. You can access a doctor, a psychologist, a counsellor hang out at the cafe, attend a peer group meeting, sit in cool workshops on positive psychology. It is a place where you can meet someone just like you who fought their battle and made it though .. it is a place of hope and inspiration, of love and gratitude.

How do you intend to scale up?

The idea of Reboot is to have 100 centres like the one we have in Gurgaon to come recharge and reboot. We also intend to launch an online property to stay connected and access help on the go and finally a residential long stay facility for those who need extended and intensive support.

The need for rehab centres across the country for all mental health ailments is immense. Till we do not have one for each price point and ailment at every corner, in every neighborhood, with mental health advocates, media and celebrities becoming vocal about their own battle the struggle will remain uphill.