National, 10th September 2025: The month between World Suicide Prevention Day (10th September) and World Mental Health Day (10th October) calls for urgent attention to one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time. Against this backdrop, Westland Books announces the launch of Homecoming: Mental Health Journeys of Resilience, Healing and Wholeness; authored by Neha Kirpal & Dr. Nandini Murali. A first-of-its-kind book and community initiative that brings mental health lived experiences into the centre of public conversations; with a call for change in how we understand and care for mental health concerns in our families and health systems across India.
Homecoming is the first of its kind compilation in India, highlighting true stories of women leaders living with severe mental health conditions, first-hand accounts of depression, schizophrenia, chronic anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, suicide loss, and inter-generational trauma. The book brings perspectives on approaches to treatment and care; shines light on the broken & fragmented nature of mental healthcare available in India today and calls on cross-sectoral leaders to pay urgent attention to this nationwide mental health crisis. The book is co-created by social entrepreneur Neha Kirpal (Amaha Health, Children First, India Mental Health Alliance (IMHA) and formerly India Art Fair) and Dr. Nandini Murali (Founder, SPEAK, Vice-President – Learning & Research at Avtar, gender and diversity professional, and author), and features the journeys of 11 women leaders – entrepreneurs, psychiatrists, LGBTQI+ activists, philanthropists and teachers – their insights and expertise can shape how communities, organisations and governments build responsive mental health care and support in India.
Speaking about the book, Neha Kirpal said: “As a lifelong caregiver to a parent with schizophrenia and a sibling suicide loss survivor, I have realised over the last three decades, that sharing the insights and learnings from our own lived experiences greatly helps people trying to access care and equally those building mental healthcare practices and systems in our country.”
“Women often shoulder invisible burdens of caregiving, marginalisation and abuse, yet their experiences remain overlooked in public discourse on mental health. Homecoming seeks to place these narratives at the centre, recognising them not as accounts of victimhood but as reflections of resilience, dignity and healing” added Dr. Nandini Murali, co-author of Homecoming, and author of Left Behind: Surviving Suicide Loss.
India accounts for 1/3rd of the global burden of depression, addiction, and suicide. In today’s time 300 million Indian adults & 50 million Indian children face mental health challenges during their lifetime; stigma and silence continue to dominate public discourse and stops people from seeking help in time; fueling the treatment gap of up to 95%. Homecoming challenges this status quo with bold personal narratives that provide valuable insights, validation and hope – nudging for accessible quality care and building support systems for people in their home, colleges and workplaces. These narratives of survival, resilience and hope illuminate the importance of learning from lived experience expertise – perspectives that are invaluable for designing care practice, public policy and community support systems across the country.