BIPOLAR INDIA

Here’s a handy list of Emergency Helplines and Counselling Centres across India. There are times one feels overwhelmed, alone and utterly hopeless. You are not alone. Do get in touch with these organisations~

Helplines that may be approached in times of need are:

Tele-MANAS: Call on 14416
(The Government of India’s Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States or Tele-MANAS)

N.B.:
Above Chart has been sourced from Health Collective‘s website with their permission. It is a curated list of Helpline numbers which they have themselves verified as active.

iCall: The Tata Institute of Social Sciences School of Human Ecology
022-25521111 (Mon-Sat: 8 am to 10 pm)
E: [email protected]

Know more about your condition, symptoms and methods to cope with them.
Loads of reading material, Blogs, websites and videos which can help Bipolar as well as Depression affected is available on the web and in print.

Knowledge empowers us, inspirational stories spark hope where there is none.
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BOOKS:

FEELING GOOD  by Dr. David Burns
At a time when I needed it the most, this Book came as a blessing!
It had a profound impact on me and changed my thought process entirely: for the better.
The Book is based about CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). How it worked is that it made me introspect on my though processes: essentially, our thoughts determine our moods. I am not suggesting that our mood disorders do not have a deeper, more fundamental basis. By adopting the strategies propounded by Dr.Burns, I managed to bring myself out of a crippling depressive phase. (As such anti-depressants are quite ineffective for treating the depression phase of Bipolar Disorder) .

Chemical Khichdi~ How I Hacked My Mental Health ~ Aparna Piramal Raje
This memoir by the Author has a world of insights and tools based on her own lived experience with Bipolar Disorder. A Bestseller, it has been a conversation starter. it is written with great flair and authenticity. A Must Read!

A BIPOLAR’S JOURNEY~ From Torment to Fulfillment ~ Vijay Nallawala
If I may humbly add my own Book to this list, purely for one reason. This is possibly the very first such book written by a bipolar disorder affected in India about his recovery journey. It therefore is a perspective from South Asia, relevant to conditions prevailing here.

The D-Word~ A Survivor’s Guide To Depression ~ By Shubhrata Prakash
If depression has made inroads into your life, this book tells you not to lose hope. Drawing from real-life experience and meticulous research, Shubhrata Prakash shares her expert knowledge on what it means to have depression, how to identify your particular strain and overcome your sense of hopelessness.

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WEBSITES:
There’s so much of research material, new studies, news about breakthroughs available on the internet, keep yourself abreast of it, without getting overwhelmed by it.
KNOWLEDGE EMPOWERS.

Some of the websites which can be accessed for information on Bipolar Disorder:

International Bipolar Foundation 

DBSA

Psych Central