Over 400 offer free mental health support to frontliners

PUNE: Psychologists Radhika Bapat from Pune and US-based Uma Chandrika Millner, in association with the Asian American Psychological Association, have launched INDEAR (Indian Network of the Diaspora for Essential Aid and Relief) to offer free mental health support to frontline healthcare workers.
The ongoing pandemic has affected physical and mental health of thousands of frontline workers, including doctors, nurses, psychotherapists, hospital staff and crematorium staff, many of whom work more than 14 hours a day often without PPE kits or essential safety equipment.
“Affected by what was happening in India, Millner reached out to help me. We have been friends for 20 years. I told her how I had offered free therapy to frontline workers on Tuesdays and was overwhelmed by the number of people who contacted me. Our dialogue led to her offering to help on a larger scale,” said Bapat.
Over 400 mental health practitioners, including psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers, have volunteered their time and expertise for this initiative. The sessions are available in Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Marwari, Odia (Oriya), Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.