Doctors' bodies in Kerala oppose 'Happiness and Wellness' label for mental health centres
Kerala units of the IPS and IMA have objected to renaming mental health centres as 'Happiness and Wellness' centres, saying it understates severe illness.
Two professional medical bodies in Kerala have come out against the proposed rebranding of mental health centres as 'Happiness and Wellness' centres, arguing that the change in nomenclature misrepresents the nature of care these public institutions provide.
The state units of the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said the new label risks trivialising severe mental illnesses. Such conditions, they noted, require sustained clinical treatment rather than being framed in terms associated with general well-being.
The organisations also cautioned that the revised name could mislead patients about what these facilities actually offer. People seeking help may arrive expecting wellness-oriented services, while the centres are set up to deliver psychiatric and medical care to those with significant disorders.
Both bodies stressed that mental health centres are essential public institutions and that any change in how they are presented should not obscure their clinical role or the seriousness of the conditions they treat. The objection centres on the terminology rather than the existence or functioning of the centres themselves.
The IPS and IMA Kerala units have urged that the rebranding be reconsidered, maintaining that the existing description more accurately reflects the treatment dispensed at these facilities.