Young team sets world record by taking mental health awareness to India’s heartland

By A Representative 

The International Book of World Records has recognized Seher Hashmi and her team for their extraordinary achievement in mental health advocacy, awarding them the record for 'Most Seminars Conducted on Mental Health Awareness During a Campaign.' The campaign, 'Breaking Stigma One Mile At a Time,' was spearheaded by Hashmi, a mental illness survivor with a diagnosis of severe clinical depression and Borderline Personality Disorder. 

Hashmi's own arduous journey with mental illness, including self-harm and violent breakdowns, inspired the initiative. She credits her recovery to the support of psychiatrists Dr. Amit Sen and Dr. Rajiv Mehta, therapists Ankita Khanna and Khilly Marwaha, and a strong support network of family and friends.

Joining her on this mission were social activists Dev Desai and Nazneen Shaikh, filmmaker Samanyu Shukla, and entrepreneur Mahrajuddin Bhat. On April 20, the team set out from New Delhi, with Hashmi and Desai on Royal Enfield motorbikes and the rest in a car. 

Their journey took them across 2,779 kilometers to cities, towns, and villages in Anantnag, Baramulla, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jalandhar, Jammu, Kangra, Khumriyal, Kupwara, Ludhiana, Mohali, Mukerian, Narwana, Rohtak, Sogam, Sopore, Srinagar, Pattan, and Wavoora. 

They conducted 30 interactive sessions, engaging with over 3,200 people, including students in schools and colleges, men and women in rural communities, and mental health professionals.

The campaign's journey was fraught with challenges. The team faced massive cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides in Jammu and Kashmir, which closed the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH44) for a week. They also had to navigate treacherous mountain roads and extreme weather, including snow and bitter cold, after an attack on tourists in Pahalgam. In the Lolab valley, their access was initially restricted, but after extensive outreach to local authorities, they were allowed to continue their programs.

To measure the campaign's impact, an online feedback form was sent to all participating institutions, with 634 people (19.8% of the total attendees) responding. Data analysis, conducted by Prof. Surjit Dabas, a retired scientist from CSIR-National Institute Of Science Communication and Policy Research, revealed significant findings. 

A staggering 76.3% of respondents were attending a mental health session for the first time, and 96.1% felt that discussing mental health was important. The sessions were highly rated, with 56.9% of participants rating them as "excellent." 

The campaign successfully reached a diverse demographic, with 45.4% of respondents being up to 20 years old and 69.9% being female. These statistics highlight the critical need for mental health awareness in smaller towns and rural areas and underscore the success of 'Breaking Stigma One Mile At a Time' in bridging this knowledge gap.