Hyderabad, India, January 9, 2022: Roshni Trust, a non-profit organization founded in 1997 by caring volunteers, today celebrated 24 years of mental healthcare service. To mark the occasion Roshni announced the launch of Psychiatry at Doorstep service in Hyderabad.
Over the last 24 years Roshni continues to create awareness to eradicate stigma attached to psychiatric issues, provides emotional mental health support to depressed and suicidal people to those who are going through crisis, and having depression or suicidal thoughts. The trust is also servicing the terminally ill in offering palliative care, persistently building optimism and belief among depressed citizens to overcome their challenges.
Mahima Datla, Managing Director & CEO, Biological-E, Indian Actor, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Fashion Designer Shilpa Reddy, were present at the launch along with Shashi Reddy, Founder, Roshni Trust.
In their address, the founders of Roshni Trust said, the mission for the trust is to make psychiatric treatment available to most. Our new service Psychiatry at Your Doorstep backed by a psychiatrist Team with a psychiatrist, counsellor, coordinator, and driver.
The key barriers to accessing mental healthcare with one in four people reportedly having to choose between obtaining mental health treatment and paying for necessities. Because of cost, coverage, and the social stigma still associated with mental and substance use disorders, most people with behavioral health issues do not receive treatment, and for some it is inaccessible. We want to break this barrier, and the doorstep service, to the underprivileged is the first big step in this direction Sashi Reddy, Founder, Roshni Trust added.
India Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu who graced the occasion, and launched the service said Roshni is a benevolent platform serving society where people can get access to counseling and free psychiatrist consultation followed by medication. The doorstep service is a great step in helping people cope and recover from mental health issues. She added, it is very difficult to speak out about one's problems during depression. No one’s life is perfect, I know this pretty well. Since Iam in social media, I have been through this personally, now I am strong. I am truly inspired by the Roshni and Datla foundation for offering this help to those in need.
Trishanya Raju of Datla Foundation said, Mental health can affect anyone’s daily living, relationships, and physical health. The stigma attached to taking medication and accepting the need of treatment is the greatest deterrent leading to the increase in depression, anxiety. I laud the services of Roshni Trust in its efforts to create awareness on Mental wellness and make available treatment and counselling services in the twin cities at a time when little was known about the need for Mental wellness in par with Physical health.
Dadla foundation is proud to support this service which will give the much-deserved importance to mental health. The launch of this holistic “Psychiatry at Doorstep” by Roshni Trust will help many to overcome their anxiety and get treated being at their homes.
Fashion Designer and Brand Ambassador of Roshni Shilpa Reddy, expressed, “many have been benefitted by Roshni’s services last 24 years, whether through helpline service or through counselling centers, Roshni has been working relentlessly, now with this new service “Psychiatry at Doorstep”. This is a great step in providing mental health services to the under privileged and removing the stigma attached to mental health.
All the other special guests wished Roshni Trust the very best for the coming years, and keep going forward to serve the people in need.
The organisation launched many initiatives in the past that include Roshni Helpline in 1997, to offer free and confidential emotional support to the depressed through a call by trained volunteers. Our helpline has received more than one lakh 98,000 calls since 1997. Roshni Counselling Centre in 2010, launched a professional service for mental health treatment and therapy by Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists, Psychologists and Psychological Counsellors and a free psychiatric camp for the underprivileged. Through our free mental health camps, we have treated 33,400 patients.
In a 2020 report released by ADSI Statistics noted there was a sharp rise in the number of deaths by suicides. In absolute terms, there were 153,052 deaths by suicides, the highest number since 1967. A survey conducted by UNICEF and Gallup in early 2021 with 20,000 children and adults in 21 countries seek support for mental stress. Only 41 per cent of young people between 15 -24 years of age in India said that it is good to get support for mental health problems, compared to an average of 83 per cent for 21 countries.
Pre-existing mental health challenges also have been aggravated by the impact of the COVID-19 crisis in recent times.
Roshni’s services include free psychiatric consultation, free counselling, free medication, and consistent monitoring, with the new service of
“Psychiatry at Doorstep” launched today, will now be able to support mental health services to underprivileged people at their doorstep.
