New Delhi, Aug 18: In a city-driven life shaped by deadlines, traffic, digital overload, financial pressures and constantly rising expectations, mental wellbeing is increasingly becoming an invisible casualty. Experts on the eve of Independence Day called for a fundamental shift in how India approaches mental health—from waiting for problems to become severe to recognising distress early, encouraging people to seek help and making prevention part of everyday healthcare. The call came during a panel discussion on “Freedom from Silent Suffering – Mental Health in Urban India.”
Prof. Dr. Nimesh G. Desai, Director – Psychiatry & Mental Health, Pacific OneHealth, said mental health exists across a spectrum, from everyday stress and mental distress to diagnosable mental disorders. “Mental disorders in this country are about 10–12%. But we also have a much larger population experiencing mental distress and another section that simply wants to improve their mental wellness.” He stressed the need for healthcare to recognise these different levels of need rather than addressing mental health only after it becomes a clinical problem.
The discussion highlighted a larger concern: many people continue to function while carrying significant levels of stress, anxiety or emotional distress, often delaying help because mental health remains difficult to discuss openly. Experts said preventive mental healthcare needs to become a normal part of healthcare, with greater emphasis on awareness, early screening, timely support and appropriate treatment when required. Preventive psychiatry, they noted, could play an important role in changing this approach.
Dr Deepak Raheja, Director, Hope Care India and President, Indian Association of Private Psychiatry (Delhi Chapter), emphasised the need to make mental-health conversations more normal, particularly as society navigates an increasingly digital and socially disconnected world. Looking ahead, he highlighted the importance of building mental-health systems that focus not only on treating illness but also on prevention and early intervention. “If we speak only about treatment, we will always remain behind the curve. Initiatives like P-SAD (Prevention of Stress, Anxiety & Depression) are essential because prevention and early intervention are the need of the hour in addressing the growing mental-health burden,” he said.
Against this backdrop, Pacific OneHealth introduced P-SAD, an initiative designed to bring mental-health awareness, screening and appropriate support into the mainstream healthcare conversation. The programme seeks to address the continuum from everyday stress and distress to conditions requiring professional care, reinforcing the idea that mental healthcare should not begin only when suffering becomes severe. The panel discussion also positioned preventive mental healthcare as an important part of the future of psychiatry.
Dr Swadeep Srivastava, Co-Founder & President, Pacific OneHealth, said,
“Healthcare must evolve from treating problems after they become serious to identifying risks earlier and helping people stay healthier. Mental wellbeing is inseparable from overall health. Through P-SAD, our endeavour is to make conversations around stress, anxiety and depression more approachable and preventive care more accessible to people and communities.”
The experts also underlined that mental-health challenges cut across age groups and life stages. From working professionals dealing with chronic stress to older adults navigating ageing and women carrying multiple personal and social responsibilities, the need for greater awareness and timely support is universal. The message emerging from the discussion was simple: freedom from silent suffering begins when people feel able to speak, seek help and access the right support before distress becomes disabling.
The discussion and launch of P-SAD were organised by HEAL Foundation in collaboration with Pacific OneHealth as part of the HEAL OneHealth Connect Series, under the overarching theme “Azadi Se Sukoon Tak – Freedom from Stress to Screening.”