India Mental Health Alliance Emphasizes Lived Experience in Care Design

The India Mental Health Alliance (IMHA), a cross-sector network of 400 organizations across 30 Indian states, has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that lived experiences play a central role in shaping mental health care, service development, and policy. The announcement comes ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10.

Founded on the principle that mental health is a collective development priority, IMHA has spent the past two years collaborating with over 3,380 mental health professionals in more than 135 cities. This work focuses on building shared capacity and integrating experiential expertise into the practice of care.

"These lived experiences provide a critical source of knowledge about how mental health care functions in practice, how individuals navigate systems, and seek support within their diverse social and cultural contexts across India," stated Dr. Kavita Arora, child and adolescent psychiatrist and a founding member of IMHA. "Connecting clinical expertise with experiential and practice-based knowledge is essential for creating a mental health ecosystem that is more equitable and contextually relevant."

As part of its initiative, IMHA is developing a collaborative knowledge hub to make insights accessible from various sources, including professional, practical, and academic research. The alliance also launched "Homecoming: Mental Health Journeys of Resilience, Healing & Wholeness," an anthology featuring the personal stories of eleven women navigating severe mental health conditions in India.