Teens’ mental health zines help stressed, depressed students in India – and adults are impressed
- Free zines offering mental health advice have been dropped in public places all over Bangalore by a high school psychology student and a friend
- More than 5 per cent of Indians over 18 have suffered from depression, according to a national survey
When 17-year-old student Gowri Kolal started giving talks to fellow high school students on depression and strategies for coping with stress, few came forward with questions. Later, though, several reached out to her through Instagram messages asking for advice.
“I realised that people needed a medium that would allow them to learn about mental health and wellness without having to put themselves in the spotlight,” says Bangalore-based Kolal.
She was always drawn towards psychology and once she started studying the subject at school, she knew it was her professional calling. Her classroom became a safe space for many students, who opened up about their personal and familial problems.
“I grew a lot in those classes and began to value things like empathy and compassion. I also felt bad for all the children who missed out on classes like these and wished to do for them what my teacher and friends did for me.”
Kolal is a fan of feminist activist Kathleen Hanna, the lead singer of the US band Bikini Kill who pioneered the Riot Grrrl female punk movement and the publisher of Bikini Kill zines – small-circulation self-published works. She took Hanna’s lead and started creating her own zines focused on mental wellness.