2022: When mental health invited action, but work needed on shedding shame

Insurance regulator intervened, India Inc stepped up but the road to awareness and acceptance remains long

Priya Hiranandani–Vandrevala, co-founder of Vandrevala Foundation, feels shame was why many in India wouldn't call her foundation's free teletherapy helpline. So she set up a WhatsApp helpline last year, and 2022 has seen 50 per cent of all consultations shifting to the messaging app.

Sports icon Virat Kohli understands that "we don't want to be looked at as mentally weak". 

"Trust me, faking to be strong is far worse than admitting to be weak," Kohli told broadcaster Star Sports in August after taking a break from cricket.

That was the year for mental health in a nutshell. The conversations around