India’s 1st Woman Psychiatrist Sarada Menon passes away

Sarada Menon, head of the Institute of Mental Health, and pioneer in India’s mental health space, died on Sunday at the age of 98, in Chennai. She was born in a Malayali family in Mangaluru, Karnataka. She was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1992 for social works.

Some facts about Dr Sarada Menon:

• Dr Menon joined the Institute of Mental Health in Kilpauk in 1959 and soon became its first woman Superintendent by 1961.
• She established the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF India) in 1984 along with psychiatrist R Thara.
• She also founded ASHA, a community-based platform supporting the families of those affected by mental illnesses.