Editorial

Abstract

A mental disorder is characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour. A World Health Organization’s study conducted in 2019 revealed that one in every eight people, or total 970 million people around the world were living with a mental disorder, with which anxiety and depressive disorders were the most common; while in the year 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people living with anxiety and depressive disorders rose significantly to 28\%. In Allopathic medicine, the main approach of treatment is still drug dependent and have sever lacuna for reversal of normal behaviour, leading a door of psychosomatic approaches than somatopsychic approaches.

Dev Sanskriti University is concerned about the increasing number of psychiatric disorders in the country and globally, and is moving towards providing a permanent solution to the globe through scientific studies of traditional practices. The National Mental Health Survey conducted by The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences in 2016 found that close to 14\% of India's population required active mental health interventions. The Survey also estimated that only one out of 10 people with mental health disorders received evidence-based treatments in India. As per the report of the regional council of WHO, depression is one of the two diagnostic categories that constitute common mental disorders (CMDs), the other being anxiety disorder. Both are highly prevalent across the population. We provide a comprehensive indigenous approaches to our clients coming to the counselling centre on campus. There are many traditional approaches available to address mental health integrating the mind, body and soul. A comprehensive approach considering spirituality Ayurveda and Alternative therapies including Yoga is the need of the time.

The basic objective of the establishment of Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya is to restore the ancient Indian principles, develop indigenous technology and provide value-based education to the students by introducing values of life to them. This issue of Dev Sanskriti Interdisciplinary International Journal (DSIIJ) contains selected articles from the International Conference on ‘Mental Health care through spirituality Ayurveda and Alternative therapies’, creating awareness regarding the great heritage of India especially for mental health.

The path towards the deep secrets of spirituality proceeds only after crossing the initial goal of mental health promotion. Thus, spirituality is an integral part of mental health care. Ayurveda is not only a traditional medicinal system but is also an important part of life management. This means that Yogis and spiritual seekers have been using Ayurveda for spiritual progress, and Ayurveda have also become some of the prominent areas of modern behavioural science research for mental health.

In the present issue of DSIIJ, from the International Conference on ‘Mental Health care through Spirituality Ayurveda and Alternative therapies’, selected papers on Yoga for mental health care approaches are presented. The present issue includes studies addressing therapy of yoga on stress in delayed postmartum women, on premenstrual syndrome among adolescence, and on quality of life among women with Breast Cancer-Related Lymphoedema (BCRL). In addition, the review studies addressing yoga and alternative methods are included for mental health in bronchial asthmatic patients and in patients with anxiety disorder.

We hope this edition will help our reader in understanding the holistic approach of Ayurveda and Traditional practices, and alternative indigenous approaches of India including yoga for maintaining mental health. We warmly welcome researchers, psychologists and experts from every corner of the country to Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar.