Bringing
People together
To curate knowledge, facilitate learning and catalyse
To curate knowledge, facilitate learning and catalyse collective impact for mental health
collective impact for mental health
Background
Mental health is vital to the overall
well-being of individuals and
communities.
India faces a severe mental health crisis, bearing one-third of the global prevalence of depression, suicides, and addiction, with a 95% gap in access to care, especially for marginalised communities. Mental health is inextricably linked to education, nutrition, livelihood, and social locations of caste, class, gender, and disability. It is essential to reframe mental health as a cross-sectoral development concern and bridge collaborations to build capacity in communities, institutions, and practitioners.
95%
gap in access to
mental health care in India
1/3rd
of global, depression and suicides are in India
$1T
economic loss estimated in India due to mental health conditions between 2012 and 2030
<1%
of the health budget is spent on mental health
17 SDGs
share a complex, bidirectional relationship with mental health
About
India Mental
Health Alliance
The India Mental Health Alliance (IMHA) was set up as a not for profit Section 8 Company in 2023 by Founding Trustees Vasvi and Ashish Bharat Ram, in partnership with mental health organisations Amaha and Children First. The lived experiences of several of the Founding Cohort and Trustees has been the founding inspiration for setting up IMHA in 2023.
The lived experiences of several of the Founding Cohort and Trustees has been the founding inspiration for setting up IMHA in 2023. In 2024 Manisha Dhawan (Aikyam/The Convergence Foundation) joined IMHA as a Board Member and Patron.
The India Mental Health Alliance aims to strengthen mental health systems
by connecting and convening stakeholders, enhancing their capacity and fostering collaboration across sectors. It prioritises lived experiences to shape inclusive and effective mental health initiatives. In 2024 Manisha Dhawan (Aikyam/The Convergence Foundation) joined IMHA as a Board Member and Patron.
-Dasra Philanthropy Week (February 2024)
Read more about our approach to building Capacity and
Read more about our approach to building Capacity and Alliance amongst mental health professionals and communities here
Alliance amongst mental health professionals and
communities here
Connect
Collaborate
Capacity
Convene
Our Beliefs
Mental health must be integrated with the overall Sustainable Development Goals
People’s mental health cannot be seen separately from education, nutrition, health, livelihoods, marginalisation and social justice.
There is a need to expand the nature of mental health care
We cannot rely on clinical expertise alone, and must include scalable community-focused approaches, preventive models, and innovative collaborative care models in our focus.
Increasing the number of mental health professionals is important, but not enough
It is equally important to enhance the quality of training, regulation and practice readiness as professionals enter this workforce.
Mental health is shaped by intersecting individual, community, and socio-political factors and is not just an expert-driven biomedical issue
We need to center and recognise the expertise of those who have lived with mental health challenges.
Our Values
Community
We recognise the existing strengths and unique challenges of communities in developing models of care
Localised
We integrate local cultural knowledge with resonant and effective practices
Lived Experience
We are inspired and co-led by people with lived experiences
Grounded
We are respectful and non-pathologizing
Vasvi Bharat Ram
Founding Trustee, IMHA
Joint Vice Chairperson,
The Shri Ram Schools
Ashish Bharat Ram
Founding Trustee, IMHA
Chairman & Managing Director, SRF Ltd
Manisha Dhawan
Strategic Donor, IMHA
Founder, Aikyam Foundation
Founding Trustee, The Convergence Foundation
Dr. Amit Sen
Founding Cohort, IMHA
Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist
Co-founder at Children First
Amitav Virmani
CEO,
The Education Alliance
Dr. Shelja Sen
Founding Cohort, IMHA
Co-founder, Children First
Narrative Family Therapist
Dr. Amit Malik
Founding Cohort, IMHA
Founder and CEO, Amaha
Dr. Kavita Arora
Founding Cohort, IMHA
Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist
Co-founder at Children First
Shalini Gupta
Managing Trustee & Director,
Hope and Strength Initiative
Kairavi Bharat Ram
Founder, Typsy Beauty
Youth mental health
ambassador
Neha Kirpal
Founding Cohort, IMHA
Co-founder, Amaha
Mental Health Ambassador
Dr. Shekhar Saxena
Professor of the Practice of Global Mental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Prabha Chandra
Senior Professor of Psychiatry
and Dean at NIMHANS
President of the International Association of Women’s Health
Dr. Poornima Bhola
Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS Vice President, Society for Psychotherapy Research-Asia Affiliate Group
Dr. Poornima Viswanathan
Assistant Professor,
Jindal School of Psychology and Counselling
Lived Experience Ambassador
Dr. Alok Sarin
Senior Consultant Psychiatrist,
Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research
Vijay Nallawala
Author, Lived Experience Advocate
Founder, Bipolar India
Managing Trustee, Mental Health Support Foundation
Dr. Tasneem Raja
Head, Mental Health Initiatives, Indira Foundation
Dr. Vivek Benegal
Head of Department of Psychiatry,
National Institute of Mental Health
and Neurosciences
Dr. Chetna Duggal
Associate Professor,
School of Human Ecology,
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
Karan Malik
Executive Director
Bakul Dua
Head of Programme Development
Kaainaat Khan
Engagement and Communications Lead
Anam Mittra
Alliance Development Lead
Ankita Lalwani
Knowledge and Programmes Lead
Dr. Sandesh Samudre
Knowledge and Implementation Lead
Anindita Singh
Programme Manager
Sanskriti Agarwal
Strategy and Operations Associate
Saziya Saba
Operations Coordinator
Connect With Us
Get in touch with us for any general queries.