Bloomberg Equality Summit: Mental Illness Is Equated To Failure, Says Neerja Birla

Mental health issues are seen as a failure and often equated to rejection, said Neerja Birla, founder and chairwoman of Mpower.

“Mental health (issues) are seen as a failure and the topic is just rejected,” said Birla at Bloomberg's flagship Equality Summit in Mumbai—held for the first time in Asia. Social stigma and a deeply entrenched bias against mental health have made discussing the issue and bringing its various challenges to the fore a big challenge, she said.

“The thing we're trying to create is a cultural shift, a paradigm shift in mindset,” Birla said. “There are so many issues related to mental health. The stigma, the awareness, the treatment gap—there's a lot that needs to be done but at least we've made a start.” The summit focused on mental health in its segment on the inclusion of those with special needs in the workforce.

Vishal Agrawal, vice president of Global Emerging Market Equities at BlackRock and part of the company's Active Equity Group, said he was just 17 when he was diagnosed with an illness that left him blind. “It took me 5,000 cold emails, hundreds of interviews, tons of rejections to land my first job...BlackRock took a chance on me,” Agrawal said. “Why can't we open our mind and take a chance on someone else?”

As millennials grow more sensitive about including those with special needs, the situation is bound to improve, said Birla. “Young adults are going to be the changemakers because they are now thinking bigger and don't want to be associated with stigmas.”

WATCH | Neerja Birla and Vishal Agrawal speak at Bloomberg Equality Summit.