The happiness of the country’s people is on the wane. Family ties are coming apart, empathy and sympathy are evaporating. Marital discords are on the rise. Gone are the days of the joint families, without being succeeded by proper substitute services. Many of today’s children are growing up without adequate love and care. Many of them eventually become drug dependent. Again, unable to cope with the ever-increasing social, economic, professional, and emotional stress, many people are developing psychological problems. According to the latest statistics, 1 out of every 6 people in the country’s adult population and 1 of every 5 children of the age of 12 to 17 suffer from mental disorders. A few years ago, the rates were a little lower. In other words, the average mental health status of the country’s population is going downward. But interventions and efforts to tackle this crisis is so insignificant as to be almost non-existent.

We have been working in this field since 1999 and we think there is a pressing need for discussion, research, and awareness on these issues and for more service-delivery efforts for mental health and human welfare. Against that background, we have developed social media spaces where we welcome your comments, suggestions, information, and constructive criticism on these issues. We hope this will prove to be one of the seed trays of mental health and human wellbeing.

Jibaner Utsab

CREA-VSO Partnership overview