NEW DELHI: Mann Ki Baat, Doordarshan’s television series on mental health issues presented by psychiatrists Avdhesh Sharma and Sujatha Sharma, will be back on public demand, 17 June onwards.
The series - which has earlier been telecast on DD National, DD Bharati and DD India – will now be aired every Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. on DD 1.
Issues related to mental health, psychosocial issues, stress related problems, emotional and behavioral disorders in the various age groups as well as issues related to positive mental health and well-being will be the focus of the series, comprising 78 episodes. Each episode focuses on a specific topic with emphasis on understanding and seeking solutions for the problem concerned.
It has been found that about 25 per cent of the Indian population suffers from psychological distress/illness in their lifetime while countless others have sub clinical problems. It has also been found that humans do not use even 5 per cent of their potential powers of the mind, which can always be improved. Caring for the mind is a major responsibility and it is crucial and important to recognise early signs of psychological distress and address them immediately through self-help or seeking outside help so that it does not become a mental illness.
Mann Ki Baat was born out of the need to create a platform for awareness on mental health issues – both the ordinary ones that affect our daily lives and the not so ordinary issues like mental illnesses that may not directly affect us but someone we know or care for.
The series focuses on issues related to the mind and mental health of individuals and the society at large. The program is essentially a studio based discussion between the anchor and the experts in the field with inputs in the form of comments from general public, case studies as well as experts from different related professions.
The content for the series has been developed by Sujatha D. Sharma, a clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience who has also scripted several other television documentaries on mental health in the past. Avdhesh Sharma, a well known psychiatrist is the director and expert anchor of the series. Avdhesh has anchored and directed numerous health programs for the electronic media for over 30 years. Kanupriya, a well known media personality for nearly two decades, is the anchor of the present series.
The series deals with psychosocial issues spanning all ages, from mental stress in children and adolescents to marital problems of the elderly. It also deals with common psychological problems like depression, anxiety, suicide, sleep and eating disorders, alcohol abuse, myths and stigma about mental illness etc. There is a focus on self growth such as enhancing emotional intelligence, positive emotions and controlling negative ones.
