India has among the highest rates of depression in the world and only one psychiatrist for more than 300,000 people on average. Rural areas fare the worst, with a higher rate of suicides among farmers than the rest of the population. A program launched by the government’s National Rural Health Mission aims to address the situation using smartphones to connect local Accredited Social Health Activists (recruited among women) with medical professionals in distant offices. Although only 40 villages currently benefit, the good news is that mental health is now on the government’s radar. Of course, in an ideal world, we would love to see India’s public policies tackle the root causes of farmers’ suicides as well as the symptoms.
Smartphones help alleviate depression in rural India
More of Today's Solutions
Here are some easy recipes for making your own hand sanitizer
By now you must surely be aware that washing your hands clean is necessary to keep you and others protected during the pandemic. You’ve ...
Read MoreThe case for shifting to a four-day workweek for post-pandemic life
At The Optimist Daily, we’re putting a lot of focus on what the world can do after the pandemic to create a healthier, more ...
Read MoreSo your compost has mold? What it means and what to do about it
So you’ve set up a functioning compost system in your backyard. First things first, congratulations! But how do you know if your compost is ...
Read MoreMapping out the Milky Way’s snacks gives clues into dark matter
In our galaxy’s galactic halo, there are 12 streams of stars orbiting. These burning balls of gas are actually being torn apart and their ...
Read More
