Abhivyakti means ‘Expression’ in
Marathi. The newsletter aspires to be a forum for expression
of our feelings, emotions and thoughts- all valuable elements
of the mind. On a more practical plane, creating mental
health awareness and sensitization and bringing the issue
of mental health to the forefront form the two major objectives
of our newsletter. The inadequacy of material and information
on mental health in Marathi language has been evident for
some time now and Abhivyakti aims to address
this gap. At the same time, by inviting contributions from
our audience itself, the newsletter aims to increase the
knowledge base on mental health in the vernacular language.
The
experiences of the users of mental health services, the
expression of their emotions, positive as well as negative,
holds a special significance for us. Abhivyakti thus
represents an attempt to provide the users with a forum
to share their experiences with a larger audience. At the
same time, the newsletter would try to maintain an adequate
balance between the perspectives of users of mental health
services and carers of the mentally ill persons. Our first
issue carries an inspiring and a touching account by a
user of her struggle with depression and how she overcame
the same.
Abhivyakti has
columns which would deal with specific issues like current
debates and issues in mental health policy and advocacy,
reports on workshops and research studies in the area of
mental health and information about the library resources
available in Bapu Trust. Certain columns are aimed specifically
at our contributors- these include a students’ column,
personal accounts of living with distress or interactions
with mental health systems, feature stories, poems on mental
health as well as views expressed by various experts and
workers in the field.
Our
newsletter is directed towards laypersons as well as users
of mental health services, activists working in various
social spheres, students, and mental health professionals
at all levels. We invite all our readers to share their
experiences and perspectives and be a part of Abhivyakti!
At
the moment, Abhivyakti is being circulated
for free in Pune and Maharashtra. If you would like to
receive a copy, contact:
Aparna
Waikar
Darshana Bansode
Editors, Abhivyakti
wamhc@dataone.in
info@camhindia.org |
