MENTAL WELLBEING: Are we mistaking awareness for progress?

Awareness alone cannot strengthen Nepal’s mental health system; lasting progress depends on training and the effective implementation of mental health initiatives.

Recently, through the various community sessions I have been part of, I came to realise a very obvious issue in Nepal’s mental health sector. This problem is closely tied to how we are trying to prioritise mental health. Surprisingly, the issue is not that mental health is being ignored anymore. In fact, the government has introduced important initiatives, including the National Mental Health Strategy and Action Plan 2077, as well as the National Mental Health Programme 2022.