On 11 October 2019, the Dr. Guislain Museum and Janssen Research & Development, LLC named The Live Love Laugh Foundation the 2019 winner of the Dr. Guislain “Breaking the Chains of Stigma” Award. The award honors The Live Love Laugh Foundation for its extraordinary efforts to change the dialogue around mental illness in India with a specific focus on stress, anxiety and depression. The Foundation was recognized for its efforts during a ceremony in Ghent, Belgium on Friday, October 11, 2019, and will receive $50,000 dedicated to expanding the scope of its public awareness campaigns.
“Over the last four years, The Live Love Laugh Foundation has worked on several initiatives with a specific focus on destigmatizing mental illness and creating awareness about mental health. This award further validates our work. At TLLLF, we believe that not a single life should be lost due to mental illness and we continue our efforts in giving hope to those struggling with stress, anxiety and depression (SAD),” said Deepika Padukone, Founder of The Live Love Laugh Foundation.
India is home to an estimated 57 million people affected by depression. The Lancet estimates that one in five Indians will suffer from depression during their lifetime. India is an evolving society greatly impacted by globalization, urbanization, migration, and modernization. Coupled with ongoing and rapid socio-demographic transition, depression among individuals in India is likely to increase in the coming years.
Since it was founded in 2015, The Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF) has launched “You Are Not Alone”, a mental health awareness programme in schools which has already covered students and teachers in 655 schools across nine Indian states and ten cities. The Foundation created “Together Against Depression,” a programme to equip general physicians (GPs) with the awareness and tools to support people with mental health problems and provide critical first-level intervention. The rural mental health programme supported by the Foundation funds the treatment of more than 1500 patients annually in three states. Further, (TLLLF) has undertaken nationwide multimedia programmes aimed at reducing the stigma associated with mental illness and building mental health awareness.
The Dr. Guislain Award program is a joint project of the Dr. Guislain Museum and Janssen Research & Development, LLC. The winner receives a $50,000 prize that must be used toward further work to reduce societal stigma about mental health. The Award is given to an individual(s), organization or project that has made an exceptional contribution to mental healthcare in the broadest sense on a cultural and/or social level; has provided a genuine contribution to decreasing stigma around mental health conditions; has promoted attention for mental health care; and has done all this with passion, creativity and innovation.