Mpower, backed by Aditya Birla Education Trust, on Friday launched an Mpower Cell at BITS Pilani-Hyderabad Campus in an endeavour to accelerate the movement to bring about a mindset change and offer mental well-being in a holistic manner.
It was inaugurated virtually by Mpower founder and chairperson Neerja Birla. The new cell will provide one-on-one counselling and quality clinical interventions to students, faculty and staff on campus.
Ms. Birla said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mental illness has emerged as a crisis in India with rising cases of anxiety, depression, and other disorders. As a result, there is a strong need to create avenues where people can seek help that they need, she said.
She said mental health challenges among the youth was a pressing issue and success in academics can be only ensured with sound mental health and any problem should be nipped in the bud. Also, there could be unaddressed issues considered niggling from school days.
“At Mpower Cells, we endeavour to help people open up about their mental health concerns, and seek professional help. We also work to dispel the stigma around mental illness and empower individuals and their families to foster nurturing environments,” she added.
BITS-Hyderabad director G. Sundar opined that students have been gravely impacted due to the pandemic because their planned schedules were disrupted. The isolation and limited socialisation also played a role in mental health issues among youngsters. “To remedy the situation, we need to take a collaborative approach,” he said.
