We all are bound by societal norms in some way or the other. Some cope well with the rules, yet some break down. Emotional stress and mental illness are the reasons for most people. The social stigma attached to mental illnesses is so humongous that people resort to extreme measure such as suicides.

In India, where a person’s status is considered superior than the person itself, numerous lives are lost due to the fact that people are not willing to talk about their problems fearing social implications and for the fear of being called mentally ill.

After losing a room-mate to suicide, Richa Singh, an IIT Guwahati graduate, decided that it was time to take action. She realized that a large chunk of the population was suffering from mental illnesses, yet they were scared of openly expressing themselves. This realization led to the creation of an online portal called YourDOST, in December 2014.

This website provided an emotional support system for people to discuss problems with qualified and experienced individuals, in anonymity. The anonymity factor helped in the growth of the website with around 70,000 users.

Majority of the depressed folks do not talk about their issues because of the fear of being judged. Richa gave them the solution through her portal, which was complete freedom to consult psychologists, while remaining anonymous.

Richa Singh is the reason why some people are still alive today; because she believes that all lives matter.

Blog By Chithra Prabhakaran