Dr. Vivek Benegal, Senior Professor of Psychiatry (Retired) trained as a psychiatrist and specialised in the area of Addiction Medicine.  He was instrumental in setting up the current treatment services and treatment protocols, which have become the standards of treatment in the country today; as well as the post-doctoral and super-speciality training (D.M. & Post Doctoral Fellowship training) facilities at the Centre for Addiction Medicine (CAM) at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore. He was the Head of the Centre for Addiction Medicine (CAM) and the Head of the Department of Psychiatry at NIMHANS. He was also the founding Head of Department of Psychosocial Support in Disaster Management and the Centre of Excellence for Climate Change and Mental Health, of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. He is currently Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal

His area of clinical expertise is in treatment interventions for adolescents and young adults with common vulnerability to brain and behaviour disorders including Addictive disorders, Adult Attention Deficit Disorder and youngsters exposed to developmental stress and adversity.

Over the last 30 years, he has explored the different trajectories of brain development across the human lifespan (from the fetal stage through to senescence) which result in vulnerability or resilience to brain illness: including the recording of the normative trajectories of brain growth of humans from 0-100 years, normative curves of acquisition of cognitive development in Indian youngsters, normative developmental curves of immune functioning etc. This includes the study of mechanisms through which exposure to environmental influences –from birth to death- (maternal stress, childhood adversities, infections, pollution, nutrition and social-economic disparity) modify the individual’s genetic programming, to sculpt the brain and shape the person’s psychological and neurological abilities to engage with their environmental challenges, which ultimately determines vulnerability/resilience to mental and neurological illness.

He also co-leads the National Mental Health Surveys of India, which collect data on the prevalence and incidence of mental disorders and on the use of and need for services by the mentally ill in India, and constitute the largest household surveys of mental health internationally.

He has led numerous studies on the extent and patterns of substance use in India, its impact on public health, harms to others and social cost, and this has informed his research on the impact of the cumulative exposure of the individuals’ environment across their lifetime on their brain development and their resilience or vulnerability to brain illness.

He has been an advisor to State and Central government bodies on substance abuse related policies including the National Consultative Committee on De-addiction and Rehabilitation (NCCDR), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment; National Committee of Experts on Harm Reduction, Ministry of Finance, Government of India; Inter-Ministerial committee on ‘dual use’ and illicit trafficking of prescription drugs and precursors (Ministry of Home Affairs); State Level Co-Ordination Committee on NDPS Act, Ministry of Home, Government of Karnataka; Expert Group, Committee on National Alcohol Prevention/Control Policy, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment; Steering Committee on Alcohol Control and Health, Ministry of Health and family Welfare, Government of India; Technical Advisory Group on Alcohol Control, Government of India; and has been the Chairperson, Specialty Section on Addictive Disorders, Indian Psychiatric Society

He has also served as Advisor to international bodies: WHO Expert Scientific meeting on the Harms to Health due to Cannabis Use; World Health Organisation on Alcohol Problems and Non-Communicable Disorders

He has a publication record which includes more than 270 peer reviewed scientific papers and 16 books. Dr. Benegal has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Indian Psychiatric Society as well as several oration awards.

In a previous lifetime, he secured a Diploma in Film and Theatre from Chitrabani, Calcutta; made several documentary films, been Art Director for several plays and television serials, and been the Theatre and Film critic for the Telegraph newspaper and occasionally an itinerant food critic. Currently, he is trying to get back to his first love, painting.