Tinder Offers Free Mental Health Resources for India Users
Contributed by: kellyseal on Monday, July 12 2021 @ 11:28 am
Last modified on Monday, July 12 2021 @ 11:54 am
Dating app Tinder has partnered with VisitHealth to offer free mental health services to its users in India.
Through July, all existing and new Tinder members in India will have free access to emotional wellness content through the dating app, such as guided meditations and fitness videos among other health initiatives, according to The Times of India[*1] .
In addition, every Tinder member will have access to two free sessions with a licensed therapist across all major Indian languages. Participating members can also have access to continued support at discounted rates after those first two sessions.
The pandemic has been difficult mentally and emotionally for people around the world, and young people looking for connection have been especially vulnerable. More than half of India’s Tinder members are 18 to 25-year-olds, and as The Times of India points out, they have become more open in sharing their lives with others over the app in order to feel more connected - including who they are, how they look, and how they feel. Since the start of the pandemic, Tinder noted that mentions of the word “anxious” grew by 20 percent, and the word “normalize” was used 11 times more frequently in bios from March 2020 until now.
India has been hit especially hard the last few months, with surging rates of infections and hospitalizations among its population, and hospitals in short supply of staff, medication and equipment. Now that the vaccines are starting to reach the country, rates have fallen and the situation isn’t so dire, but stress and anxiety remains for many people still struggling with the effects.
The Times spoke with clinical psychologist Sonali Gupta, who put it this way: “…[young people] are grieving for missed opportunities, for friendships, dating or even the ability to be out and about in the world. This increased loneliness, frustration along with privacy concerns has added to the anxiety the young are experiencing today. At a time like this, reaching out and addressing emotional concerns can be the first step towards one's own well-being.”
The dating app says it wants to be a safe space and provide support for people dealing with mental health issues, especially during this challenging time. It also wants to destigmatize accessing services for mental health, and with the openness and engagement of its young members, Tinder hopes to carve a path forward for people to normalize using this kind of care.
“The pandemic has put things in perspective for all of us. Covid-19 has been hard on mental health, especially for our young members who are dealing with a new normal across all facets of their lives,” Taru Kapoor, General Manager, Tinder & Match Group, India told the Times. “We recognize that every once in a while, one needs to pause and check-in and hope that with this initiative, our members find comfort in the fact that now support is just a click away.”