‘Mental health units to come up in 28 districts’

28-Jul-2014

UDUPI : K.A. Ashok Pai, chairman of Karnataka State Mental Health Task Force, said on Saturday that district mental health units will be started in the remaining 28 districts of the State.

Addressing presspersons here, Dr. Pai said that each would be set up at a cost of Rs. 2 crore each and they were expected to be set up by 2016.

These units were currently functioning in 12 districts of the state.

He said that sex education should be made compulsory in high schools and Pre-University colleges and its curriculum had already been designed. Teachers of biology, sociology, psychology, would be trained as special lecturers for teaching sex education.

Dr. Pai said that though exact statistics were not available, independent surveys had indicated that two per cent of the population suffered from psychosis (schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, paranoia, etc) and six per cent from neurosis (anxiety, phobia, hysteria, obsessive compulsive disorder, somatoform disorders).

Four per cent of the population suffered from personality disorders (drug abuse, deviant sexual behaviour, psychopathic and sociopathic tendencies) and two per cent of the population suffered from behaviour disorders secondary to organic brain damage (mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism and multiple disability).

Hence 14 per cent of the population needed mental health services in the country.

Karnataka, with a population of 6 crore, had nearly 75 lakh persons needing routine mental health service.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had identified two important diagnostic criteria among the first ten killer diseases. Universal guidelines for mental health services required the need of one mental health professional for each 1,00,000 population

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/mental-health-units-to-come-up-in-28-districts/article6256114.ece

 

DDC, Srinagar organizes school mental health program

13-May-2014

Srinagar : Police Drug De-addiction centre PCR Srinagar in its efforts to educate young generation about ill effects of drug abuse organized today a school mental health programme in Child Care centre at Rajbagh area.

A team of professionals comprising of Haris Akbar Kashmir (Psychiatric Social worker), Zahid Jeelani and Fidah Hussain (Counselors) conducted a drug abuse awareness programme in the Child’s Care Educational Institute in which more than 100 students and staff of Child Care centre participated in the programme.

Speaking on the occasion Zahid Jeelani highlighted the causes and consequences of youth substance abuse. He also spoke about the drug de-addiction initiative started by J and K Police started in February 2008.

Haris Abrar spoke about the scenario of drug abuse in the valley. He also highlighted the school Mental Health Programme initiative taken by Drug De-addiction centre to prevent young generation from drug addiction by imparting them information about Drug Abuse, Consequences and Preventive measures.

Later Fidah Hussain Mir talked about stress and its management and also shared 24×7 stress management helpline number with the audience. The students also raised multiple questions which were answered satisfactorily by the team.

In the end, the school authority thanked the team and applauded the initiative taken by J&K Police and requested to conduct such programs in each district of the state.

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