Health officials and mental healthcare professionals in Thane emphasise empathy, dignity and community support in helping people recover from mental health conditions | File Photo
Thane, October 6, 2026: Emphasizing that “though wounds of the mind are invisible, their pain runs deep,” Deputy Director of Health Services Dr. Kailas Pawar has underscored the critical need for empathy, social acceptance, and structural support for individuals battling mental health conditions.
Focus On Mental Health Awareness
Speaking at the conclusion of the World Mental Health Week celebrations hosted at the Regional Mental Hospital in Thane, Dr. Pawar highlighted the vital importance of dismantling social stigmas and cultivating greater public sensitivity.
The multi-day initiative was organised in alignment with the global 2026 theme: “It Is Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace” (or contextually framed locally as “Listening to Lived Experiences: True Voices, Real Change”).
The programme served as a platform to amplify the stories, struggles, and recovery journeys of individuals with lived experiences of mental illness, ensuring their voices sit at the centre of modern mental healthcare services.
Highlighting regional outreach, Dr. Pawar noted that health authorities across the Thane, Palgher, and Raigad districts are actively scaling up community-based mental health initiatives, regular health camps, outpatient departments (OPDs), and public awareness rallies. The Health Department remains deeply committed to making mental healthcare more accessible, people-centric, and comprehensive.
Care And Compassion In Treatment
As one of Maharashtra’s premier tertiary care centres for psychiatric treatment, the Regional Mental Hospital in Thane plays a foundational role in serving multiple districts.
Medical Superintendent Dr. Netaji Mulik, addressing the gathering, stressed that patients must be viewed not merely as clinical cases, but with the care, dignity, and compassion traditionally reserved for family members.
“When clinical treatment is met with an environment of warmth and genuine affection, it profoundly accelerates rehabilitation,” Dr. Mulik remarked.
Patients And Families Felicitated
The observance featured vibrant poster exhibitions across the outpatient department detailing mental health conditions, clinical care pathways, and rehabilitation strategies.
In the occupational therapy unit, inspiring short films chronicling the successful recovery arcs of patients were screened. The event culminated in a heartfelt felicitation ceremony where recovering patients and their families were honoured for their resilience.
Through clinical expertise, familial support, and community acceptance, the overarching message resonated clearly: recovery from mental health challenges is entirely possible.
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Voices Of Recovery
“When I was struggling with severe depression, the isolation felt heavier than the illness itself. What finally changed everything wasn’t just the medication—it was the moment my family learned to listen without judgment, and my workplace welcomed me back instead of pushing me away. Healing truly begins when society stops treating mental illness as a secret and starts treating it as part of being human.” — A recovering patient sharing their journey at the Thane Regional Mental Hospital.
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