A reassuring voice for mental health falls silent

Thane: For thousands of patients across Maharashtra, Dr Anand Nadkarni was not merely a psychiatrist but a reassuring presence who listened without judgement, prescribed sparingly and made mental healthcare feel humane. On Friday morning, that reassuring voice fell silent. Dr Nadkarni, psychiatrist, author, playwright and one of Maharashtra’s foremost mental health advocates, died at a Mumbai hospital following complications after a recent surgery. He was 68.

Till recently, he continued seeing patients for over 11 hours a day at the Institute for Psychological Health (IPH) in Thane, the institution he co-founded in 1990 with a mission to take mental healthcare out of the shadows of psychiatric institutions and into the community.

Long before “mental wellness” became fashionable vocabulary, Dr Nadkarni had already built a people-centric mental health movement around empathy, accessibility and dignity.

“In 40 years, he oversaw a transition from institution-based care associated with Thane Mental Hospital to the community mental healthcare model of IPH, which had multiple support groups and initiatives to help patients” said Dr Anuradha Sovani, IPH trustee and former head of psychology at SNDT Women’s University. “He knew every volunteer by name. That was the kind of person he was.”

Colleagues described him as unconventional in a profession increasingly driven by hurried consultations and aggressive medication. Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty, who was a co-registrar with him at KEM Hospital in the 1980s, said, “He stayed away from the mainstream ‘pill-king’ culture.” Patients often remembered him less for prescriptions and more for conversations. Dr Nadkarni, who suffered from polio and needed caliphers when he was young, remained intensely accessible. Colleagues said he routinely counselled 70 to 80 people a day, often stretching his clinical work across 11-hour schedules, while simultaneously conducting lectures, writing books, mentoring youngsters and speaking publicly about emotional resilience.

He worked extensively in addiction recovery, adolescent emotional health and public mental health awareness. He was also a founding member of Muktangan and trustee of Swayam Rehabilitation Trust.

A compelling public speaker, he understood early the power of communication in mental healthcare and actively engaged audiences through lectures and digital platforms, including his own YouTube channel. He was preparing for an 8-city US speaking tour later this year.

Deputy CM Eknath Shinde described him as a “multifaceted personality” who bridged clinical medicine and social welfare. Dr Nadkarni is survived by his wife and son.

(Inputs by Malathy Iyer)