Time for Action: A Case for Mental Health Advocacy in Kerala, India. Chinchu C1. 1 - Post Doctoral Fellow, Women’s Studies Centre, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, Kerala, India Additional Affiliation : Research Consultant, Association for Social Change, Evolution, and Transformation (ASCENT), Kozhikode, Kerala, India Correspondence Address: Chinchu C. Mullanvathukkal, Kaipuzha North (PO), Kulanada (via), Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India - 689503 Email:
[email protected] Acknowledgement of financial Support : None Conflict of Interest : None Time for Action: A Case for Mental Health Advocacy in Kerala, India. Abstract Mental health continues to be one of the most neglected areas of public service in India, even in its most developed states like Kerala. Advocacy services in mental health are also inadequate in availability to those in need. This call to action paper argues for a collaborative advocacy-through-action model of mental health advocacy for Kerala, with people’s participation as an important component. Kerala is chosen as the candidate for such a model because of its successful experience in implementing participatory development programmes. The proposed advocacy model can be extended to the whole country based on the feedback received from its initial implementation. Keywords: Advocacy, Kerala, India, People’s Participation, Community Mental Health Time for Action: A Case for Mental Health Advocacy in Kerala, India. Introduction The idea of sustainable development is closely linked to the institutions and processes of public service, in discourses related to development (Leuenberger, 2006). However, with regard to the issue of equity, the focus of such discourses lies mostly on the equity between generations. The issue of equity within a generation is not accorded due consideration (Dalziel & Saunders, 2010; Pearce, 1988).