Ruhika Prasad is a Senior majoring in Anthropology and Human Biology. She was awarded a Summer 2019 Independent Grant which she used to conduct research on mental health needs in Myosore, Karnataka under Dr. Joyce Flueckiger.
This summer was a whirlwind of amazing experiences. I couldn’t believe I had the opportunity to conduct my thesis research in Mysore, Karnataka this summer. It was incredible to spend time in India and work with an amazing organization to do it! I worked with the Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRI- link: http://www.phrii.com/).
Specifically, I conducted my honor’s thesis research here in Mysore on populations involved in mental health, whether that’s community health stakeholders or people with mental health needs. I really was interested in how women cope with stressors in their lives and who they go to for help with their mental health. I learned through interviews and focus group discussions that most of the women I saw were going to a variety of people at the same time, and not everyone was professional. For example, some women would go to astrologists, and then realizing that this might not have worked by itself, they turn to a religious healer or a psychiatrist. This form of simultaneous treatment really was cool for me to see, because in the Western world the mode of treatment for mental illness is so different.
In total I completed (in English):
1. 15 In depth interviews with community health providers
a. 4 psychologists
b. 3 psychiatrists
c. 2 astrologists
d. 2 sorcerers/past life therapists
e. 2 astrologists
f. 2 spiritual healers
g. 2 religious’ healers
2. 6 Focus Group Discussions
a. 6 women per discussion
i. 1st kind of discussion: 3 discussions with women having less than a 10th standard (10thgrade) education
ii. 2nd kind of discussion: 3 discussions with women having more than a 10th standard (10thgrade) education
3. 6 In depth follow-up interviews with women from focus group discussions
a. 3 from the first kind of discussion
b. 3 from the second kind of discussion
It was a very fruitful research endeavor! And, the wonderful staff at the institute along with my guides Mrs. Jay, Dr. Weaver, Dr. Flueckiger, Dr. Madhivanan, and others taught me so much about research, ethics, mental health, and how to do it all with kindness.
India was a great place to work, I love going back to my roots and exploring a stigmatized topic such as this has made me very appreciative of people doing work in this field such as those at the institute. 
Over the course of three months, I got to go to a training session on health disparities plaguing India and specifically rural India at the University of Mysore with the other PHRI interns, I bought my first saree and attended an Indian wedding, and I got to explore different parts of Southern India.
I learned so much about a new culture I had never experienced before and felt so lucky to have Undergraduate Research Programs (URP) work with me to help me figure out the logistics of going to India. I had fun conversations with my coworkers, and even though I did not necessarily speak Kannada the local language, I was able to pick up a few words and this helped me communicate better with both the interviewees and the staff at PHRI.
Here are a few of the activities I got to engage in!
Visit the Undergraduate Research Programs website to learn more about applying for Independent Research Grants.
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