Founded and Led by India's Most Recognised Mental Health Entrepreneur
Athena Behavioral Health was founded in 2021 by Dr. Shradha Malik, a psychiatric clinician with 18 years of experience across Indian and US healthcare - including direct management of behavioural health centres in the United States. Dr. Malik brought the clinical standards, dignity-first care culture, and evidence-based treatment models she encountered in the US to India, where she identified a profound gap between the mental health care patients needed and what most facilities were offering.
Dr. Malik's leadership and impact have been recognised at the highest national levels:
Nari Shakti Awardee 2024
Recognised by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India as an influential businesswoman driving India's economy.
Women-Led Entrepreneur of the Year
Honoured at the Bharat Nirman Conclave and presented by Shri Sanjay Seth, Minister of State for Defence, Government of India.
Care Hero 2023
Received national recognition for outstanding contributions to healthcare.
TEDx Speaker
Delivered the talk "Breaking Stigma: Empowering Conversations on Mental Health for Greater Awareness."
LinkedIn Top Thought Leadership Voice
Recognised in the mental health and psychiatric care category.
Media Presence
Featured across leading national media including NDTV, CNBC Awaaz, Zee News, TV9, Navbharat Times, Business Connect India, Startup Pedia, and Brilliant Read Media.
Athena is co-founded by Dr. Ashish Mittal, Consultant Psychiatrist (AIIMS Delhi), and Rohit Malik. The clinical team comprises consultants who are alumni of AIIMS and other premier government institutions across India.
Academic qualifications: PG Diploma in Clinical Psychiatry, University of South Wales | Executive Leadership & Change Management, IIM Ahmedabad
Government Licensing and Accreditation - Sector 47 Gurgaon Facility
Athena's Gurgaon Sector 47 facility holds the most complete regulatory compliance and accreditation stack of any private psychiatric and addiction treatment facility in Delhi NCR. Each licence is independently verified and legally mandatory for the services it covers.
NABH Accreditation - National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers
What it means for patients: NABH is India's gold standard for hospital quality, administered by the Quality Council of India. Accreditation requires independent external audit - not self-declaration - of patient safety systems, clinical protocols, infection control, staff qualifications, medical records, and governance. It is reviewed and renewed periodically. Very few private psychiatric and addiction treatment facilities in Delhi NCR hold NABH accreditation.
Applies to: Sector 47, Gurgaon facility only
State Mental Health Authority (SMHA) Licence - Mental Healthcare Act 2017
What it means for patients: The SMHA licence is issued by the State Mental Health Authority of Haryana under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 - India's landmark legislation for mental health rights and treatment standards. It is a mandatory government licence authorising a facility to provide inpatient mental health treatment. Operating without it is a criminal offence under the Act. Athena Sector 47 holds a valid SMHA licence, confirming full legal compliance with India's primary mental health law.
Applies to: Sector 47, Gurgaon facility only
De-addiction Treatment Licence - Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
What it means for patients: Issued under guidelines of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, this licence specifically authorises residential addiction treatment and rehabilitation services. It is mandatory for any facility providing inpatient detoxification and addiction rehabilitation - and it is distinct from the general mental health licence. Athena Sector 47 holds a valid de-addiction licence, confirming that all addiction treatment services operate under full government authorisation.
Applies to: Sector 47, Gurgaon facility only
Clinical Establishment Licence - Clinical Establishments Act
What it means for patients: Registration under the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act authorises Athena Sector 47 to operate as a hospital. This registration confirms compliance with minimum standards for facilities, equipment, staffing, and medical records set by the Central Government.
Applies to: Sector 47, Gurgaon facility only
How Athena Measures Clinical Outcomes - The Methodology Behind the 94%
Outcome data is only meaningful when it is anchored to a rigorous methodology. Athena's outcome measurement framework uses the same validated clinical tools at admission and at discharge, allowing direct, objective comparison of patient status before and after treatment. Claimed improvement rates that are not based on validated tool comparisons are not clinical outcomes-they are impressions.
Validated Assessment Tools Used
PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9)
Validated international tool for measuring depression severity. [Kroenke et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2001]
GAD-7 (Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale-7)
Validated severity measure for anxiety disorders. [Spitzer et al., Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006]
AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test)
WHO-validated tool for assessing alcohol use disorder severity. [Saunders et al., Addiction, 1993]
DAST-10 (Drug Abuse Screening Test)
Validated severity measure for drug use disorder.
CGI-I (Clinical Global Impression - Improvement)
Clinician-rated global improvement measure. [Guy W., ECDEU Assessment Manual, 1976]
CIWA-Ar (Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment - Alcohol)
Validated alcohol withdrawal severity and monitoring tool used throughout detox. [Sullivan et al., British Journal of Addiction, 1989]
COWS (Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale)
Validated opioid withdrawal severity tool. [Wesson & Ling, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2003]
PCL-5 (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5)
Validated PTSD symptom severity measure. [Weathers et al., National Center for PTSD, 2013]
WHOQOL-BREF
World Health Organization Quality of Life brief measure used to track functional recovery beyond symptom reduction.
The Four-Stage Measurement Framework
Admission Baseline
All patients complete validated assessments within 24–48 hours of admission, establishing an objective clinical baseline.
Weekly Progress Monitoring
Condition-specific assessment tools are administered every week throughout treatment, allowing clinicians to adjust care plans in real time for patients who are not progressing as expected.
Discharge Outcome Assessment
The same validated tools are re-administered at discharge. Comparing discharge scores with admission baseline forms the published clinical improvement rate.
Post-Discharge Follow-Up
Patients are followed up at 3, 6, and 12 months to monitor sustained recovery, relapse rates, quality of life, and engagement with aftercare services.
Definition of Clinically Significant Improvement
At Athena, clinically significant improvement is defined using the published Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) thresholds for each validated assessment tool, rather than an internal benchmark. This conservative methodology forms the basis of the reported 94% clinical improvement rate.
Outcomes by Condition
Alcohol Use Disorder - 68% average AUDIT score reduction at discharge
Athena's alcohol treatment programme combines CIWA-Ar monitored medical detox, CBT, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, and structured 12-month aftercare. Published evidence shows integrated inpatient treatment with aftercare achieves 12-month abstinence rates of 55-70% in specialist settings [NICE CG115, updated 2023]. Athena's outcomes are consistent with the upper range of published specialist programme results. The strongest predictors of sustained recovery in Athena's alcohol cohort are programme completion, 12-month aftercare engagement, and structured family involvement - all three of which are actively supported by Athena's clinical model.
Major Depression - 68% average PHQ-9 score reduction at discharge
For patients presenting with major depressive disorder - whether as a primary diagnosis or co-occurring with addiction - PHQ-9 scores at discharge show an average reduction of 68% from admission baseline. The majority of patients move from 'moderate-severe' or 'severe' PHQ-9 range at admission to 'mild' or 'minimal' at discharge. This is consistent with outcomes reported in RCTs of combined pharmacotherapy and CBT [NICE NG222, 2022], which form the backbone of Athena's depression treatment approach. [Kroenke et al., JGIM, 2001]
Anxiety Disorders - GAD-7 scores reach sub-clinical threshold in majority of completers
GAD-7 scores for patients with generalised anxiety disorder show consistent improvement to below the clinical threshold in the majority of patients completing a full CBT-based course. The combination of psychiatric stabilisation and structured CBT achieves response rates consistent with NICE guidelines for anxiety in specialist settings [NICE CG113, updated 2020]. [Spitzer et al., Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006]
PTSD - 52% average PCL-5 score reduction at discharge
PTSD frequently co-occurs with substance use disorders. A large proportion of patients at Athena use alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism for intrusive symptoms, hypervigilance, or emotional numbing. Athena's trauma-informed integrated approach - treating PTSD and addiction simultaneously - achieves an average 52% PCL-5 score reduction at discharge. Research consistently demonstrates that integrated treatment of co-occurring PTSD and SUD produces better outcomes than sequential treatment of each condition separately. [Najavits et al., Psychiatric Services, 2004] [PCL-5 reference: Weathers et al., National Center for PTSD, 2013]
Dual Diagnosis - 91% clinically significant improvement at discharge
Dual diagnosis - co-occurring addiction and mental health conditions - is Athena's most common inpatient presentation: over 60% of admissions carry at least one co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis. Athena's integrated model achieves a 91% clinically significant improvement rate at discharge for dual diagnosis patients. This challenges the assumption that dual diagnosis patients inevitably have worse outcomes than single-diagnosis patients. SAMHSA's position is unambiguous: 'Integrated treatment that addresses both substance use and mental health conditions simultaneously is more effective than treating each condition sequentially.' [SAMHSA, 2020, Co-occurring Disorders and Violence]
Opioid Dependence - 74% sustained abstinence at 6-month follow-up
Athena's opioid treatment protocol uses buprenorphine-assisted withdrawal or symptomatic management (COWS-scale monitored), followed by intensive rehabilitation and structured aftercare. Published evidence shows that medically assisted withdrawal combined with psychosocial treatment achieves significantly better outcomes than either approach alone. [NIDA, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment, 3rd ed., 2012] [COWS reference: Wesson & Ling, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2003]
Evidence-Based Treatment Methodologies at Athena
Every therapeutic modality used at Athena has a peer-reviewed evidence base endorsed by leading international clinical bodies including NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse, USA), SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, USA), NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, UK), and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is the most extensively researched psychological treatment for both addiction and mental health conditions. A landmark meta-analysis by Butler et al. (2006) across 16 methodologically rigorous studies found CBT produced significantly better outcomes than control conditions for depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. [Butler AC et al., Clinical Psychology Review, 26(1):17-31, 2006] NIDA designates CBT as an evidence-based approach for treating a range of substance use disorders. At Athena, CBT is delivered in both individual and group formats, with real-world trigger management and relapse prevention skills as primary outcomes.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills Training
DBT was developed by Marsha Linehan and has strong evidence across borderline personality disorder, self-harm, emotional dysregulation, and substance use. DBT's four core skill modules-mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness-are taught at Athena for patients with emotional dysregulation and impulse control difficulties. [Linehan MM et al., Archives of General Psychiatry, 1991; Dimeff & Linehan, Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 2008]
Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)
MET uses motivational interviewing principles to resolve ambivalence about treatment. NIDA classifies MET as an evidence-based approach for treating substance use disorders. [Project MATCH Research Group, 1997, Journal of Studies on Alcohol] It is particularly effective for patients who have entered treatment under external pressure or who have mixed feelings about recovery. At Athena, MET is typically used in the early stages of treatment and during aftercare when motivation fluctuates.
Contingency Management (CM)
CM uses structured incentive systems to reinforce abstinence and treatment attendance. It has three decades of research demonstrating long-term efficacy for stimulant, opioid, cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco use disorders. [US Department of Health & Human Services, ASPE Report on Contingency Management, 2021] Studies comparing CM with CBT and MET consistently show higher abstinence rates and treatment retention with CM. [NIDA Clinical Trials Network studies] At Athena, CM principles are applied through structured milestone recognition and positive reinforcement within the rehabilitation programme.
Family Behaviour Therapy (FBT) and Structured Family Involvement
Family involvement in addiction and psychiatric treatment is not an add-on-it is a clinical intervention with its own evidence base. A meta-analysis by Ariss & Fairbairn (2020) found that SUD treatment involving significant others produced significantly greater reductions in substance use than individually-based therapy or usual care alone. [Ariss T & Fairbairn CE, Psychological Bulletin, 2020] SAMHSA's Advisory on Family Therapy (TIP 39) states that family therapy improves treatment engagement, reduces dropout, and improves long-term recovery outcomes. NIDA's Clinical Trials Network studies found Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) was significantly more effective than treatment as usual in engaging and retaining family members in treatment. [NIDA Clinical Trials Network, BSFT Manual] At Athena, structured family sessions are integrated at multiple stages of treatment-not offered as an optional supplement.
Psychoeducation
Psychoeducation-structured education about the nature of addiction and mental health conditions-is endorsed by NICE, WHO, and ASAM as an evidence-based component of comprehensive treatment. Patients who understand the neuroscience of addiction, the mechanism of their medications, and the early warning signs of relapse engage more meaningfully with every other component of treatment. At Athena, psychoeducation covers the brain reward system and addiction, the stages of change model, dual diagnosis awareness, medication literacy, and relapse prevention planning.
The Family's Role in Recovery - Evidence and Practice at Athena
Addiction and mental health conditions do not affect individuals in isolation. They affect families - and families, in turn, significantly affect outcomes. This is not a sentiment. It is a research-supported clinical fact.
What the Research Shows
A meta-analysis published in Psychological Bulletin (Ariss & Fairbairn, 2020) found that treatment programmes incorporating significant others produced greater reductions in substance use than individually-focused therapy. [Ariss T & Fairbairn CE, Psychological Bulletin, 2020]
SAMHSA's national data shows that patients referred to treatment by family members are more likely to complete the full programme than those who self-refer or are referred by employers. Family involvement is specifically associated with higher treatment retention - which is itself the strongest predictor of long-term recovery. [SAMHSA, 2020]
Moos and colleagues' landmark longitudinal study found that at 2-year follow-up, men in recovery had significantly better family functioning than those who had relapsed - and that family functioning at discharge predicted 2-year recovery outcomes. [Moos RH et al., Journal of Studies on Alcohol, multiple longitudinal studies]
Research by Sonbo et al. (2024) in Addiction & Health confirmed that family-based factors are among the strongest predictors of both relapse risk and relapse prevention in patients with substance use disorder. [Sonbo HM et al., Addiction & Health, 2024]
How Athena Structures Family Involvement
Family psychoeducation sessions: structured education covering the neuroscience of addiction, the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 patient rights framework, how to support recovery without enabling, and how to recognise early relapse warning signs
Family therapy sessions: facilitated by trained family therapists, addressing communication patterns, boundary-setting, trust rebuilding, and the family's own emotional responses to the patient's illness
Discharge planning with families: families are included in the discharge conversation - they receive the written aftercare plan, direct contact for the aftercare team, and a clear brief on what the first weeks at home will look like
Post-discharge family support: the aftercare team is available to families throughout the 12-month follow-up period - not just to the patient
Guidance on enabling vs supporting: families are guided specifically on the difference between healthy support and enabling behaviour - one of the most practically valuable things families learn during treatment
Family members are also encouraged to seek their own support - through counselling, Al-Anon, or equivalent peer support networks. Caring for someone with addiction or a psychiatric condition carries its own clinical weight, and that weight deserves professional acknowledgement.
How Athena's Outcomes Compare to National and International Benchmarks
Global average 12-month abstinence for alcohol dependence in specialist settings (NICE CG115, updated 2023): 55-70%. Athena's outcomes are consistent with the upper range.
Response rate to combined pharmacotherapy and CBT for depression in specialist settings (NICE NG222, 2022): approximately 60-65%. Athena's 68% PHQ-9 reduction meets and exceeds this benchmark.
STAR*D trial response rate to first-line antidepressant monotherapy (Rush et al., American Journal of Psychiatry, 2006): approximately 37%. Athena's integrated approach significantly outperforms monotherapy alone.
SAMHSA's position on dual diagnosis integrated treatment vs sequential treatment: 'Integrated treatment consistently produces better outcomes than treating either condition alone.' Athena's 91% dual diagnosis improvement rate reflects this evidence.
What This Means for Families Making a Treatment Decision
If you are a family member reading this page, you are likely trying to answer one question: is treatment at Athena likely to work for my family member?
The honest, research-grounded answer is yes - for the large majority of people who engage fully with a structured, evidence-based treatment programme of the type Athena provides. Our 94% improvement rate is not a promise to every individual patient - clinical outcomes depend on engagement, severity, social circumstances, and post-discharge behaviour. What it does offer is a statistically grounded basis for confidence.
What you should look for in any psychiatric or addiction treatment facility - and what Athena provides - is: validated outcome measurement (not estimated success rates), named clinical leadership with verifiable credentials, government licensing that confirms legal compliance, and a post-discharge aftercare model that continues professional support through the highest-risk period after leaving inpatient care.
When you are ready to speak with our team, we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All enquiries are completely confidential.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Athena's 94% improvement rate calculated?
The 94% figure reflects the proportion of patients completing a primary course of treatment who achieve a clinically significant improvement on validated outcome tools - PHQ-9, GAD-7, AUDIT, DAST-10, and CGI-I - compared to their admission baseline. 'Clinically significant' uses published MCID thresholds for each tool. Patients who self-discharge before completing their programme are excluded from the completion-rate calculation but are tracked in follow-up data where contact can be maintained.
What makes Athena different from other psychiatric hospitals in Delhi NCR?
Athena's Gurgaon Sector 47 facility holds the full government compliance stack - NABH accreditation, SMHA licence (Mental Healthcare Act 2017), de-addiction treatment licence (Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment), and Clinical Establishment registration - simultaneously. Very few private psychiatric and addiction facilities in Delhi NCR hold all four. Athena is also founded by Dr. Shradha Malik, a Nari Shakti Awardee 2024 with 18 years of experience across Indian and US healthcare, with a clinical team from AIIMS and other premier institutions.
What is dual diagnosis and how does Athena treat it?
Dual diagnosis means a person has both a substance use disorder and a co-occurring mental health condition - for example, alcohol dependence with depression, or heroin use with PTSD. Over 60% of Athena's inpatient admissions have at least one co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis. SAMHSA's evidence is clear: integrated treatment of both conditions simultaneously produces significantly better outcomes than treating each sequentially. At Athena, psychiatrists, psychologists, and addiction counsellors work together on each dual diagnosis case from admission - not in separate silos.
Does treatment at Athena follow NIDA and SAMHSA guidelines?
Yes. Athena's evidence-based treatment methodologies - CBT, DBT, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Contingency Management, and structured Family Therapy - are all endorsed by NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse, USA), SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, USA), and NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, UK). Athena's medical detox protocols use CIWA-Ar and COWS - the same validated monitoring tools used in leading US and UK addiction treatment centres.
Is Athena's NABH accreditation the same as other hospitals' NABH accreditation?
NABH accreditation is the same standard - it is awarded by the Quality Council of India and requires independent external audit of the same criteria across all hospitals. The distinction at Athena is that it is one of very few private psychiatric and addiction treatment facilities in Delhi NCR to hold it - as opposed to general hospitals with a psychiatry department. Athena's NABH accreditation covers the full inpatient psychiatric and addiction treatment programme at Sector 47, Gurgaon.
How does the family get involved in treatment at Athena?
Family involvement is structured into treatment at three stages: during treatment (family psychoeducation sessions and family therapy), at discharge (families are included in the discharge planning conversation and receive the written aftercare plan), and post-discharge (the aftercare team is available to families throughout the 12-month follow-up period). Research by Ariss & Fairbairn (2020, Psychological Bulletin) found that SUD treatment involving significant others produced significantly greater reductions in substance use than individually-focused therapy. Athena's model reflects this evidence.
What is the relapse rate after treatment at Athena?
Relapse rates in addiction treatment vary significantly based on substance, clinical complexity, and aftercare engagement. At Athena, patients who engage with the full 12-month structured aftercare programme have substantially lower relapse rates than those who decline aftercare - consistent with published evidence on post-discharge support. The highest relapse risk period is the first six months after discharge, which is why Athena's aftercare is most intensive in this window.
Is treatment at Athena covered by health insurance?
Athena works with several health insurance providers. Mental health and addiction treatment coverage in India has expanded significantly following IRDAI regulatory changes implementing the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 - which mandates insurance parity for mental health conditions. Patients and families are encouraged to contact our care team to verify coverage for their specific policy, understand cashless admission eligibility, and discuss payment options.
Does Athena treat patients from outside Delhi NCR?
Yes. Athena operates five centres across India - Gurgaon Sector 47 (NABH accredited), OKAS Gurgaon (women-only), Noida, Luxus New Delhi, and Guwahati. The Guwahati facility serves patients from Assam, Northeast India, and beyond. Patients travelling from other cities are assisted with admission logistics by the care coordination team.
Who is Dr. Shradha Malik and what are her qualifications?
Dr. Shradha Malik is the Founder and CEO of Athena Behavioral Health. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Psychiatry from the University of South Wales and completed Executive Leadership & Change Management at IIM Ahmedabad. She has 18 years of experience across Indian and US healthcare, including management of behavioural health centres in the United States. She is a Nari Shakti Awardee 2024 (Government of India), Women-Led Entrepreneur of the Year at the Bharat Nirman Conclave, Care Hero 2023, and TEDx Speaker. She has been featured on NDTV, CNBC Awaaz, Zee News, and TV9.
