Ritik Pandey, a vibrant 24-year-old filmmaker, carries a past etched with mental illness. The darkness began when he was 16 and still in school. A series of manic episodes led to conclusion of bipolar disorder. In 2019,
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) joined the battle, leaving Ritik bedridden, consumed by racing thoughts and crippling depression. It was during this bleak period that Ritik’s principal introduced him to Children First (CF), a lifeline he desperately needed.
A child and adolescent mental health service, CF celebrated 15 years of service on April 21 at their Safdarjung Enclave centre, New Delhi. Founded in 2009 by Dr. Shelja Sen, a (child and adolescent psychologist), Dr. Amit Sen (Director, Senior Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist) and Dr. Kavitha Arora (Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist), the centre offers a range of mental health care solutions for children and adolescents up to age 25.
It is here that Ritik met a team that understood the complexities of his mental state. Unlike the sterile hospital environment, CF offered a warm embrace. The journey wasn’t easy. Nearly six years of treatment and a combination of medication and therapy helped him break free from the clutches of depression. But amidst the struggle, a spark flickered – Ritik’s passion for filmmaking. CF nurtured this spark. They recognised it wasn’t just a hobby, it was a lifeline, a creative outlet for his emotions.
CF offers various programmes, including the Manju Bharat Ram Rainbow Project, which brings mental health services to under-served communities, and the Ripples Project, which focuses on building teachers’ skills in identifying and supporting children with mental-health challenges.
Prior to the establishment of CF, the founders worked at the Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research. They saw the need for specialised care and launched CF with the vision of building a supportive community for children’s mental health.
The journey wasn’t easy.“We were told children’s mental health is not a priority in India.” “We wanted to work with children and their families in respectful ways which were not pathologising,” says Shelja, referring to the stigma surrounding mental health. However, they’ve seen a slow yet positive shift in society’s perception.
In recent years, neurodivergence has been a challenge confronting parents and schools alike. Amit, director and senior child & adolescent psychiatrist, emphasises the importance of understanding neurodiversity. “People tend to define children with differences solely by their difficulties, overlooking their strengths,” he says.
Uniquely, many CF team members themselves are neurodivergent and have undergone diagnoses. “Amit says the value this lived experience brings helps them “better understand the clients because they’ve been through similar experiences.”
Kavitha who is also a co-founder of CF added that “The journey in CF has been about exploring different ideas on how to build it and knowing that some things can only be learned through experience”.
Amit often encourages adults to ask for help. He sees merit in early intervention. “The longer we take to accept children with challenges, the less time we have to help them. Early recognition and acceptance are crucial for positive outcomes,” he says.
For Ritik, it wasn’t just about overcoming mental illness, it was about acceptance and support. CF didn’t try to fix Ritik, rather they empowered him to find his own path. They saw his potential and nurtured it. Ritik, in turn, became a beacon of hope for others struggling with similar challenges. He carries immense gratitude for CF, a place that helped him rewrite his narrative.
Today, his success story extends beyond filmmaking. He manages a thriving team of over 10 people and his creative wellspring continues to overflow into screenplays.