New Delhi: ‘Mann Ki Baat’- Doordarshan’s popular and extremely valuable series on Mental Health awareness moves into the stage of life which faces many new challenges that most people are unprepared for – mid-life or middle age, and then on to aging into an elderly person. The new episodes begin on Wednesday, September 8 at the usual time 8.30 a.m. on Doordarshan’s National channel.

After the much appreciated segments on issues around childhood, adolescence, relationships and marriage, the segment on middle and old age challenges is not only a natural progression, but focuses on areas where most people have genuine concerns that need to be addressed.

We have been hearing the term ‘Midlife crises’ being used increasingly. ‘Male Menopause’ is another term being discussed these days. Do Indian men go through a mid-life crisis? Little is known about the issues of middle age. Is there really a crisis during the middle years of adulthood or is it an age of wider horizons and opportunities? What is the nature of this crises – is it physical, psychological or both? Does it affect men and women equally? Do women go through worse midlife stress compared to men? How are the two different from each other? This period of life can cause a great deal of physical as well as psychological strain on an individual, regardless of the gender. The issue is dealt with in detail in two separate dedicated episodes for men and women with tips for preparing oneself better for the unavoidable changes during mid-life.

For centuries we have venerated our elders in the family, accorded them high status, sought their guidance and regarded them as a source of wisdom for dealing with life’s problems. Our society today is alive with talk about our senior citizens being abandoned by callous apathetic families, their assets or properties being grabbed heartlessly and they being left to fight life’s battles alone in their most vulnerable period of their lives. Do we as a society still feel the same way about our elders? Are the winds changing? Is today’s older generation a contended lot or are they leading stressful lives? The two episodes on stresses of the elderly give several practical tips for the elderly to make old age a comfortable experience for them.

The future episodes will continue to focus on work related problems, emotional intelligence, managing ones’ negative emotions and inculcating positive thought patterns etc.

These episodes will be aired every Wednesday and Friday, starting the 8th of September, in ‘Mann Ki Baat’- a series on Mental Health at 8:30 a.m. on Doordarshan’s National channel.