About

Who we are

Sangath is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation committed to improving health across the lifespan by empowering existing community resources to provide appropriate physical, psychological and social therapies.

Sangath Surveys is an initiative aimed at better understanding the various correlates of the mental health of Indian adults. In 2020 itself, Sangath has launched three surveys.

The findings of these surveys will help us understand the factors influencing the mental health and social well-being of individuals across different age groups in India. Our goal is to use these findings to map helpful information and resources, which in turn will help policymakers, healthcare and community-based services provide a more sensitive and evidence-based response to our country’s mental health needs.

What we do

We contribute to public health through path-breaking community-based research and intervention programs that strive to address the pressing mental health treatment gap within the country. We have pioneered a task-shifting strategy that incorporates relatively low-cost human resources, by empowering ordinary people and community health workers, to deliver mental healthcare with appropriate training and supervision from experts.

Sangath was named the 2016 WHO Public Health Champion of India and awarded the 2008 MacArthur Foundation International Prize for Creative and Effective Institutions. Sangath’s research has been cited in 4 recent Lancet series (child development, mental health, adolescent health, universal health care in India) and two World Health Reports (2001 and 2005) as well as influencing research groups and health policy in India, Nepal, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Cambodia, Vietnam, Ethiopia and South Africa.

Team

Abhijit Nadkarni

Lead Investigator

Co-Director, Addictions Research Group, Sangath, India | Associate Professor of Global Mental Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK