Bullish on India | Ira Khan on taking the preventive approach to mental health in India by 2047

Ira Khan, founder of Agatsu Foundation, a not-for-profit mental health organisation, in Mumbai.

Six years ago, Ira Khan, the daughter of actor Aamir Khan and his former wife Reena Datta was diagnosed with clinical depression, leading her to start the Agatsu Foundation in 2021 that works in the mental healthcare sector. The 25-year-old admits that it took her a while to figure out what she wanted to do with the foundation but has, since then, been able to direct her energies and resources towards a holistic approach to the mental health space.

For Khan, it is imperative that one approaches the mental health space from a bio-socio-psychological framework. “Prevention is always better, and especially in the context of mental health space. We need to understand that there is a connection between all these things. Intangible things such as feeling lonely, fear, self-image, hope, self awareness, intellectual and emotional stimulus as well as tangible things such as sleeping well, eating well, breathing fresh air, giving your body enough physical stimulus, employment and education play a big role in your mental health. Once there is that awareness, then the people working in the field of mental health will be able to factor in those things and accordingly come up with interventions and treatments. ,” she says.

The concept of the bio-socio-psychological framework, she explains, is that biology, psyche and society affect our mental health which implies that there is usually distress before it gets to a disorder. “Creating environments where there is less chance of distress is important but things are not always in our control. Therefore, building resilience, self-awareness and communication is how we can build our capability to handle different situations,” says Khan, adding that everyone experiences the world through their minds. “We have to pay attention to the mind and the longer you wait to do that, the more likely it is for you to unknowingly head towards distress and disorder,” she adds.

At a recent event held at Agatsu, Khan collaborated with an organisation, Let’s Walk Together, that helps facilitate people with mental health illnesses in gaining employment. “If one already has a mental health disorder, then the road to recovery involves re-assimilating them in society, which also means their place of work. There are many people who might have mental health disorders but don’t disclose it because they are scared of being discriminated against at their place of employment or even losing their job,” she explains. At the event, they spoke to people from Human Resources, headhunters and consulting firms to understand what needs to be done in order for the employees and the employers to meet each other halfway and create a productive environment.

“Some of the barriers are real, while others are perceptions. It is only when there is space for people to be open about their distress and disorders, that measures can be taken to support the individuals and even the latter can be productive at work,” she says.

Khan believes that educating ourselves about mental health and disorders will enable us to create preventive measures within each sector in our society whether it is education, schooling, employment or family structures. “We can take small steps that promote an environment that is preventive of the stresses and triggers that lead to mental distress, which if not taken care of may lead to mental disorders,” she adds.

These days, Khan says she does not tell people to take their mental health seriously, but to take it sincerely. “If you take it seriously, you will get bogged down very soon, but if you take it sincerely , you will integrate small preventive changes in your lifestyle in order for them to become part of your life,” she says. “Those can be preventive in nature. We need to work on how we can prevent mental distress that leads to mental disorder. I think that is majorly affected by education and making people aware of how interconnected everything is, so everyone who is working in this field can start working on with a holistic view,” she signs off.