In this creative thesis, I traveled to India and used my month long summer vacation back home to interview people about mental health in India. I talked to a therapist and four students about depression to find out what the situation is in India, contributing factors, experiences and stigma unique to depression among students in India, what the government is doing, and possible solutions or steps that can be taken to help students struggling with mental health problems. I also went to mainstream and special schools to meet special educators who work with differently abled children, occupational therapists, parents of differently abled children, and a student with Asperger’s in Chennai, Tamil Nadu to find out about the stigma surrounding differently abled children and their education path.
My efforts have culminated in the creation of the website mentalhealthinindia.com that can be used as a resource both by people in India as well as those abroad who are curious to learn about the stigma surrounding depression and differently abled children in India.
Details
- Mental Health in India
- Venkatakrishnan, Ranjani (Author)
- Koester, Nicole (Thesis director)
- Pruitt, Rhonda (Committee member)
- Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor)
- School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
- Department of Psychology (Contributor)
- Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)