New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) A motorcycle rally was flagged off from the capital on Sunday with an aim to raise awareness about mental health and encourage people to seek professional help.

The rally, ‘Breaking Stigma One Mile at a Time’, is led by mental health advocate Seher Hashmi. The participants will cover 21 cities and villages before culminating their journey in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, a statement said.

Psychiatrists Dr Amit Sen and Dr Rajiv Mehta, and therapist Khilly Marwaha along with academics Mridula Mukherjee, Aditya Mukherjee and Apoorvanand, flagged off the campaign in the presence of over 100 people, it said.

Hashmi, who was diagnosed with clinical depression and borderline personality disorder as a teenager, said she has turned her personal struggle into a nationwide movement.

“I was one of the lucky ones who got support but so many continue to suffer in silence. This journey is for them,” she said.

Also among the participants is social activist Dev Desai, who launched free online mental health counselling service ‘Talk It Out’ during the Covid pandemic.

Desai will also be connecting with local professionals and grassroots organisations during the journey.

The team will conduct 30 interactive sessions in schools, colleges and villages across Anantnag, Baramulla, Chandigarh, Jammu, Kangra, Ludhiana and other locations, the statement said.

It said each stop will include conversations on destigmatising mental illness and distribution of resource folders listing helplines and therapy options. PTI UZM DIV DIV