Deepika Padukone's TLLLF launches mental health awareness program

Deepika Padukone's TLLLF launches mental health awareness program
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The Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF), a not for profit organization which aims to raise awareness of mental health in India, has announced the launch of You Are Not Alone, a program focused on educating high school students and teachers on stress, anxiety and depression,while also aiming to reduce the stigma that surrounds mental health.

The Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF) was founded by actor Deepika Padukone in June 2015.

The Foundation's flagship schools program commences tomorrow (23rd March 2016) with two to three sessions for students and teachers to be held at Sophia's High School in Bangalore, which happens to Deepika's alma mater.

The Foundation expects to cover 500 other schools around the country during the year.

Commenting on the launch of the program, Deepika Padukone said: "We believe that schools can be the first line of defence for emotional and mental health disorders in our youth and we look forward to working closely with school management's to enhancing mental health awareness in these institutions. The launch of You Are Not Alone is our humble attempt to equip school students and teachers to deal with mental health challenges that they, their friends or their family members may confront."

The You Are Not Alone program will encompass:

A Session for Students:

It includes a session for students, which involves talking to students about depression to build their understanding of how such disorders could affect them or their peers, and to facilitate effective self-help and increase their sensitivity towards supporting their friends and family. The idea is to encourage them to speak about this openly and seek help if they are affected by anxiety and depression.

A Session for Teachers:

This entails sensitising teachers and school authorities to the various signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety, so they are better able to support or seek the requisite professional help for vulnerable students.

The Foundation is also inviting applications from other schools around the country to register themselves for this free program which will be conducted by the Foundation's staff as well as by other partner organizations.