Indian Mental Health Alliance Stresses Lived Experience in Care Design

The India Mental Health Alliance (IMHA) is highlighting the crucial role of lived experience in shaping mental healthcare practices, service design, and public policy. Ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10th, the IMHA, a cross-sectoral network of 400 organizations from 30 Indian states, reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that the voices of individuals and communities affected by mental health challenges are at the heart of care delivery.

Established with the belief that mental health is a national development priority requiring collective responsibility, IMHA has spent the past two years collaborating with over 3,380 mental health professionals in more than 135 cities. These efforts have focused on strengthening the collective capacity of member organizations, fostering knowledge sharing, and integrating expertise derived from lived experiences into care planning and implementation.

"These lived experiences provide vital insights into the realities of mental healthcare – how people perceive services, navigate systems, and seek support within their social and cultural contexts across India. IMHA believes that combining clinical expertise with knowledge from lived experience and practice is essential for building a mental health ecosystem that is more equitable, contextually relevant, and responsive to diverse needs," stated Dr. Kavita Arora, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and a member of IMHA's founding cohort.

As part of its initiative, IMHA is establishing a collaborative knowledge hub to make insights accessible from various sources, including practitioners' views, field learnings, clinical expertise, lived experience, and contextually grounded academic research. The alliance has also launched "Homecoming: Mental Health Journeys of Resilience, Healing & Wholeness," a collection featuring the personal narratives of 11 women leaders who have navigated severe mental health conditions.

The India Mental Health Alliance (IMHA) is a non-profit organization formed in late 2023. It aims to strengthen India's mental health ecosystem by bringing together stakeholders and fostering large-scale collaboration. IMHA includes 400 organizations across 30 states, working in sectors such as health, gender, livelihoods, climate, and education.