CosmicTaco

I'm Amit Malik, Founder & CEO at Amaha. Ask me anything!

Hi Grapevine,

I'm Amit, currently building Amaha, India’s largest mental health platform.

I'd love to chat with you all about my journey in building Amaha, my thoughts on how we can make mental health support more accessible and effective for everyone, and entrepreneurship amongst other things.

Ask me anything, I'll be back at 5 PM and begin answering! :)

2mo ago

37Kviews

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SwirlyRaccoon

Target2mo

Hello Amit, what's your take on urban loneliness? Especially for folks who are staying away from family/friends.

And also, one common thing being seen is people mentioning that it's very difficult to make new friends once we start with a career. And this relates to the previous question as well.

BouncyDonut

Swiggy2mo

I am in same bot , now moving back to home town

CosmicTaco

Amaha2mo

@Dhoni I think this is a great question for one of our senior therapists @AskAmaha

BouncyBiscuit

BNP Paribas2mo

Hi, I get that venting might feel good, but does it actually make a difference day-to-day? Or is it just a temporary relief and then I’m back where I started?

CosmicTaco

Amaha2mo

@InfatuatedUnderneath Once again, this is a great question for one of our senior therapists @AskAmaha

ZoomyPenguin

Amaha2mo

@InfatuatedUnderneath That’s a great question! As humans, we want to feel connected with others and sharing our experiences and feelings is one way to feel that connection. Having someone take the time out to listen to us also validates our experiences, which makes us feel good. However, venting about the emotions alone time and again may not be helpful in the long run. A crucial aspect of venting is the use of the safe space to become aware of your thoughts, explore new perspectives and while trying to reduce the chance of future similar upsets. So, while sharing your experiences is great, also think about trying to gain some insights from what's causing the difficult experiences.

SleepyPenguin

FICO2mo

Therapists don’t know me or my story, so how can they actually help me solve my problems? Feels like they’re just guessing half the time.

GroovyNugget

F5 Networks2mo

Not OP. Good ones take time to understand your story. You can try to clarify if you think they're assuming things.

CosmicTaco

Amaha2mo

@ImmaculateStress Most good clinicians make the effort to understand you and your life context to be able to really work with you collaboratively and create a treatment plan for you. If you feel like your therapist is simply guessing it is definitely worth addressing that with them, in the first instance. If this still doesn’t give you the right comfort, then you might want to consider an alternative professional, given how critical trust and the therapeutic relationship is for your recovery.

JazzyBiscuit

Cognizant2mo

Hi Amit, what is your views having professional cuddle therapy session in india ? I know the cultural background that we all come from , More than medicine hug can solve loneliness , depression and anxiety. Also , why there is no medication for emotional wellbeing , kindly let me know emotional wellbeing impact personal , professional , social , economic and physical relationships. Please advise on both above topics.

CosmicTaco

Amaha2mo

@SevereConvention I really have no expertise or experience in cuddle therapy so will not be able to comment on it.

Emotional wellbeing impacts all the aspects of one’s life that you have mentioned above. Being emotionally healthy is similar to being physically healthy, in that you need to practise healthy habits across diet, exercise, relationships, work and all other aspects of your life. Medicines are needed well we move away from a state of wellbeing and are feeling unwell - emotionally or physically.

JazzyBiscuit

Cognizant2mo

Western countries like UK, US Europe have started cuddle therapy session to ease out loneliness/depression.

SnoozyWalrus

Uber2mo

Amit - thanks for doing this. Why is mental health such a big problem now? Previous generations have had a tough (er?) life. So, what changed?

Apart from therapy - would you recommend low acuteness stressed/depressed folks to focus on leisure/social/sports instead of speaking to a therapist?

CosmicTaco

Amaha2mo

@AngryBus91 I hear this a lot from many people that mental health is a much bigger problem now. This is partially true as many societal factors like nuclear families, urban migration, excessive device and social media usage, and loneliness have amplified the level of psychological illnesses in modern society. Having said that, many mental health conditions have existed for generations, and have either not been diagnosed because of lack of awareness, or have not been spoken about because of stigma. The one positive in this current mental health crisis is that there are greater levels of awareness and much lower stigma - so a lot more people who would have suffered in the past are seeking and getting help.