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Background: Mental health issues are common among college students, and structured services have been proven to enhance outcomes. Despite increased enrolment for higher education in India, college mental health services remain sparse. JEEVANI is the first structured state-wide college mental health service in India. This paper describes its framework and provides an overview of its functioning during the initial five months. Methods: In 2019–2020, the Directorate of Collegiate Education, Government of Kerala, implemented the program in 66 colleges catering to approximately 60,000 students. Qualified counsellors were trained to identify issues and provide interventions and early referrals, using a stepped-care approach. They conducted awareness programs to promote mental health and reduce stigma. Results: The services were accessed by 2,315 students during the assessment period (October 2019 to February 2020). The beneficiaries were predominantly females (54.1%). Over a third (38.8%) belonged to the lower socio-economic strata, and 2.5% had significant vulnerabilities. Although no syndromal diagnoses were made, anxiety and depression were the most common presentations. The counsellors provided 3,758 individual sessions and facilitated support for students who reported academic difficulties or interpersonal issues. Severe mental illness was detected in 54 students, and referrals for specialist mental health input were initiated in 68. Conclusion: Describing the framework, sharing the technical material, and providing an overview of its functioning from a resource-constrained setting in India may encourage higher education institutions in low- and middle-income countries to consider similar projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As a signatory of the United Nations Commission on Child Rights, India has enacted laws and policies to protect the child's interests. The Juvenile Justice Act of 2015 addresses the needs and well-being of the most vulnerable children, including those who do not have anyone to care for or have experienced a traumatic upbringing and those who are allegedly in conflict with the law. No research from India addresses these vulnerable children's mental health and well-being. The current paper describes a pilot project to create mental health awareness and improve children's care access in India's Juvenile Justice System (JJS). Methods: Permission was obtained from appropriate governmental agencies in Odisha and Tamil Nadu and Child Care Institutions (CCIs) that consented to participate. A co-creation model was utilized to create youth-friendly spaces and methods to deliver mental health literacy for all stakeholders and access to care. Results: Seven CCIs and 278 children across two states participated in the implementation of the project. 37.8% of the children had resided for less than six months and 34.5% for more than two years in the current CCI. Of the various adverse childhood experiences, neglect was the highest at 76.3% followed by parental issues at 32%. Conclusions: Children in the JJS have many risk factors predisposing them to develop mental health issues. This unique pilot project describes implementing a codesigned and co-created model of delivery of mental health literacy and access to care to this vulnerable group of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: India has the second-largest population of elderly in the world. Serious mental illness (SMI) is a subset of the mental disorders that result in significant functional impairment and is usually long term. Persons with SMI face several challenges in their old age that are different from the issues faced by younger people with SMI. Understanding the problems faced by elderly individuals suffering from SMI is fundamental for planning programs to address them. The SENIOR (Support Systems Evaluation of Neuropsychiatric Illness in Old age) project is a study aimed at evaluating the problems faced in obtaining mental health care by elderly persons having SMI in the Kerala state of India. Aim: To describe the scientific methodology of the SENIOR project. Methods: This study employs mixed-methods cross-sectional design among a minimum sample of 768 SMI patients identified through cluster sampling from three districts, and Focus Group Discussion among mental health program officials. Discussion: This paper presents a methodological model to assist researchers in future field epidemiological studies on mental illness. Assessing service needs and barriers to access for the most vulnerable among the mentally ill will help the policymakers make evidence-based decisions to improve their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 has a profound impact on people with existing mental disorders, augmenting the prevailing inequalities in mental health. Methods: In order to understand the status of telepsychiatry in India and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in mental health and its potential applications, a scoping review was done between March 2020 and May 2020. The literature review revealed 253 papers, which were used to derive the primary framework for analysis. The information was then reviewed for ideas and concepts, which were integrated with evidence from gray literature and categorized under broader themes based on the insights derived. Finally, a thematic framework was developed for discussion to tailor scientific information for decision-makers' needs. Results: Review findings are summarized under the following headings: changing patterns of health-seeking behavior, origin and evolution of telepsychiatry, possible applications of telepsychiatry and AI, technological features, and AI models in mental health. Conclusions: Though there are several potential opportunities, the time is not yet ripe for telepsychiatry and AI to be adopted fully in the field of mental health care. But it is time that we develop indigenous proprietary technology and test and validate it. With many solutions offered by telepsychiatry and AI, psychiatrists must choose an appropriate tool based on their requirements, availability of resources, and feasibility of deployment. Harmony between conventional care and technology-based care must be reached gradually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Los Angeles, http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/nurses/unit1.pdf 31 Andrews FT, Avarachan A, and Daniel J. A descriptive study to assess the availability and utilization of school health services in government schools as reported by the school health nurses working under school health scheme in New Delhi. 8 Parikh R, Michelson D, Sapru M. Priorities and preferences for school-based mental health services in India: A multi-stakeholder study with adolescents, parents, school staff, and mental health providers. Worldwide, an estimated 13% of youth under 18 years of age have significant mental health problems. SP sp [1] SP , sp [2] SP sp Also, a significant percentage of mental health issues have their onset below 25 years of age. School mental health sustainability: Funding strategies to build sustainable school mental health programs: Washington, DC; Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Mental Health apps (MH apps) could help address the huge unmet mental health care need of developing countries. This study aimed to explore potential ethical, data safety, and privacy issues associated with using MH apps for depression. Methods: A cross-sectional assessment of the top 50 MH apps (by Google Play store search result ordering) for depression available in India was conducted in November 2021. Results: Most apps were listed under the category of health and fitness (54%). The median number of total and dangerous permissions requested at the time of download was nine and three, respectively. Privacy policy in English was available for 76%. The average length of the privacy policy was 2171 words, and the mean Flesch-Kincaid reading grade level was 12 (much higher than the recommended cut-off of eight). Important features relevant to safeguarding consumer confidentiality, including names of third parties with which user data could be shared (42%), explicit consent before sharing data with third parties (16%), and assurance regarding the collection of de-identifiable data (11%), were missing from the majority of privacy policies. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to improve the accessibility and usability of privacy policies by app developers, with the active involvement of other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]