India’s mental health system remains fragmented—divided by rigid professional silos, power hierarchies, and the marginalisation of lived experience. The voices of those who have experienced mental health challenges, and their caregivers, are often overlooked in shaping clinical care, systems, and services.

At the same time, there are few meaningful opportunities for mental health professionals (MHPs) to engage with Experts by Experience (EBEs) and caregivers—or to reflect on how their own lived experience can shape and humanise their approach to care.

At the India Mental Health Alliance (IMHA), we imagine a different future.

We are building shared learning spaces where EBEs, caregivers and MHPs come together as equal partners—to co-create knowledge, reimagine models of care, and transform the culture of mental health practice in India. Our upcoming capacity-building programme will centre lived experience as a form of expertise, emphasise epistemic justice, and nurture collaborative leadership that goes beyond traditional hierarchies between “doctor” and “patient”.