38 percent people have symptoms of mental health difficulties, require immediate professional advice: survey

New Delhi: As many as 38 percent of the people show some significant signs of mental health difficulties and require immediate professional medical assistance to know the actual well-being of their mental health, reveals a survey conducted by Cosmos Institute of Mental health And Behavioral Sciences (CIMBS) and LiveHindustan.com on UC Browser.

The objective of the survey was to create awareness about mental health issues among readers and make them aware about the existing risks. The survey was conducted during the last week of November and witnessed over 50,000 unique participation. The participants had to respond to 10 questions, especially designed by CIMBS, in order to test the mental health risks of users.

The survey was conducted on UC Browser, a leading content distribution platform in India, which leveraged the strength of its huge user based to attain maximum participation. The platform uses latest big data technology to personalize the homepage of each user, as per their interest area. Participation in the survey was made easy it was shared on a mobile phone, a personal device having exclusive access to the user only.

"With the rising prevalence of mental illnesses, the society's focus needs to shift on not just treating these disorders but also to effectively detect them at an early stage and also towards promoting mental health. The survey has been prepared to allow people to self-rate and help become aware of early signs of any mental health issue," said Dr. Sameer Kalani, Consultant Psychiatrist at CIMBS, New Delhi.

As per the survey, only 8% people reported of not having any symptoms of mental health difficulties.

The survey findings highlighted that 52 percent people showed psychological difficulties which may be warning signs of mental disorders. While making moderate changes in health and lifestyle may help in some cases, if the symptoms persist for a long time or impact one's quality of life, one may need to consult a mental health professional for assessment and help at the earliest.

RS Sharma, Business Head, LiveHindustan.com said, "We are delighted to participate with UC Browser for such reader-oriented campaigns. We will be happy to be part of such campaigns in future as well."