NIMHANS brings new protocol for child abuse cases

26-Jul-2014

Luna Dewan

BANGALORE : As alleged child sexual abuse cases are being reported from all across the country, it has been learnt that a proper procedure to handle such cases has been missing. In order to address this rising need, Bangalore-based National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) has come up with a protocol-based and comprehensive child centric approach to handle child sexual abuse (CSA) cases.

Over the past years, the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NIMHANS has received several children with CSA issues. When they come for help after visiting to the Child Welfare Committee, police station, the hospital, by then, the child would have already been subjected to questioning on multiple occasions and therefore to re-traumatization. There are many areas which have to be systematically addressed – the child’s reaction to the abuse, ensuring the child’s immediate safety, medical and mental health needs of the child, the concerns of the family including social stigma.

As per the protocol prepared by the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NIMHANS, they have specific ones for the families, for the schools, for the police and for the media. Following the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2013 (POCSO) mandates, families can seek for emergency medical services (EMS) within 24 hours of filing the FIR. EMS are provided by state Registered Medical Practitioners (RMP) in government hospitals and only in absence of such an agency the child will be referred to other sectors. Where the Special Juvenile Police Units (SJPU) work in collaboration with government hospitals, the detailed inquiry can be completed in one sitting.

Once the medical examination is over, the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NIMHANS can offer combined therapeutic and forensic interviewing to assist both the healing of the child and the necessary justice processes. According to the protocol, in children with symptoms, they work through trauma by encouraging expression of feelings regarding the abuse, validating experiences, and teaching personal safety. In very young children, this is done through art and play work. The support given by the parent helps in facilitating better healing of the victimized child.

At the school level, preventive workshops, personal safety workshop, life skills education can help as preventive strategies. However, when an incident takes place the system should have a clear protocol for response. Unless the school has a trained counselor or CSA expert, it should not attempt to interrogate the child. This needs to be done by trained experts. Furthermore, preparation needs to be made to receive the child back to the school in natural and non-stigmatizing ways so that the child re-integrates comfortably.

Police forms an important part of the process. In the immediate aftermath of trauma, when there is non -availability of a trained person within the police forces for sensitive interviewing of the child, they need to refer to an expert where forensic interview protocols are followed in the context of healing interventions. Police need to be cognizant that interview processes involving children cannot be hastened as it can exacerbate the trauma and be detrimental to the child’s well-being. Meanwhile, the media must protect the identity and privacy of the child without heightening their trauma by repeated and sometimes intrusive queries.

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report-nimhans-brings-new-protocol-for-child-abuse-cases-2005466

Naveen urges Centre to set up NIMHANS in Odisha

14-July-2014

CUTTACK : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today urged the Centre to set up NIMHANS-like institution in the state. He has shot off a letter to Union Health Minister Harshavardhan in this regard. “In order to upgrade the facilities for mental health and neuro sciences in Odisha, a proposal was submitted to Government of India vide D.O.No.22260, dated 23 August, 2012 for establishing one NIMHANS-like institution at Cuttack.

The proposed institution will be extremely beneficial to the mentally ill persons not only of Odisha, also of the entire Eastern region,” said Patnaik in his letter. For the proposed institute, government of Odisha has identified the required land at Cuttack. The NIMHANS director has also informed the Union government about the feasibility of setting up of such an institute in Odisha, he added.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/naveen-urges-centre-to-set-up-nimhans-in-odisha-114071401175_1.html

ECT Completes 75 years in healing the mentally challenged

27-Dec-2013

Sunitha Rao R

BANGALORE: Revathi (name changed), a science teacher in a city based High school used to find it make it to the school during the end of every year. She was suffering from severe depression, as diagnosed by psychiatrists at NIMHANS. What came to her rescue was the Electro Convulsive Therapy popularly known as ECT or Electroshock, a method of treatment for psychiatric patients. She is now settled abroad with her family and no more on ECT.

What was earlier perceived as a barbaric form of therapy is now an easy chair therapy that has given re-birth to many individuals suffering from severe mental illness. Some patients also get back to their work in the afternoon, after the ECT session in the morning.

Convulsions can cure mental illness. That’s the basis on which on the Electro Convulsive Therapy popularly known as ECT or Electroshock, a method of treatment for psychiatric patients. The usage of ECT has completed 75 years recently and to commemorate the same, NIMHANS conducted a national symposium to discuss its history and the development of history. What is less used in west is one of the most sought after treatment modes in India.

Dr B N Gangadhar recalls the youngest patient he treated with ECT. “She was an 18 year old girl who had completed her SSLC, but refused to even walk out of the house after that/. She was suffering from Schizophrenia and her mother refused to look after her after a point of time. She was brought to NIMHANS and she recovered after ECT treatment for several months. Her mother who came to see her could not believe the dramatic change in her daughter,” says Dr Gangadhar.

He has invented an ECT machine five years ago, with the help of Niviqure, a company that’s now marketing the product. “The new ECT machine that we developed in smaller in size and is user friendly,” says Dr Gangadharan.

However ECT is not the first line of treatment. Its given only when the usual treatments fail. In cases where the patient cannot afford to wait for drug effects, or when the patient refuses to take oral tablets. ECT is suggested to increase the effectiveness of usual treatment.

According to Dr Declan McLoughlin, psychiatrist from Ireland who took part in the symposium, the usage of ECT is far less in Ireland in South England where he served. “In UK, its considered as the lost resort and us3ed in much later stage of health service. If 8% percent of treatment mode in Indian is ECT, its just 1 % in London. That does not mean that mental health of British is better compared to that of Indians. But the social, cultural scenario is such that the patients prefer drugs than the ECT.

Over 75 percent of the patients on ECT show very good improvement. Its the most powerful anti-depressant that is largely used among adults,” says Dr McLoughlin.

Besides, there are side effects of ECT as well. Short term memory loss is one of the side effects, who lessen which research is going on.

It 1947, ECT was used for the first time on a young male patient at Mysore Government Mental Hospital, which is now termed as NIMHANS.

“The electrodes connected to the patient in ECT induces electric current of 80-180 volts for a period of 0.1 to 1 second. This induces seizures in the patient, that calms him/her down. A mild dose of anesthesia is given before inducing electric flux. Over 20 patients undergo the therapy everyday in NIMHANS,” says Dr Pratima Murthy, professor of psychiatry, NIMHANS.

Who requires ECT?

• Patients suffering from severe depression with high suicidal risk
• Manic patients who are aggressive
• Patients with severe mental illness refusing to consume food, water and socially withdrawn

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-12-27/bangalore/45625674_1_side-effects-treatment-nimhans

Technorati : ECT, NIMHANS, depression, shock therapy, treatment
Del.icio.us : ECT, NIMHANS, depression, shock therapy, treatment
Zooomr : ECT, NIMHANS, depression, shock therapy, treatment
Flickr : ECT, NIMHANS, depression, shock therapy, treatment

NIMHANS to train CBI in grilling bigshots

Neeraj Chauhan

15-Jul-2013

NEW DELHI: Questioning a criminal might be easy for CBI officers but quizzing politicians, bureaucrats and top businessmen is hard for them. To remove this mental barrier, the CBI is set to join hands with National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) to train its officers in interrogating accused. CBI officials said questioning was often done by investigating officers in the rank of inspectors, ASPs and DSPs and they will be given training, apart from senior officers as well.

A CBI officer said they were in process of signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NIMHANS, Bangalore, a top institute having advanced programmes in biological, behavioral and basic sciences in relation to the brain-mind-behaviour-axis. NIMHANS experts, sources said, will train CBI officers mainly in interaction and understanding the behaviour of accused to be interrogated. CBI investigates high profile and politically sensitive cases and has to call politicians, sometimes ministers and members of Parliament, bureaucrats and corporate bigwigs to its office.

“It is possible that we (CBI and its officers) are not always able to extract everything from the accused because we do not understand the state of mind of the accused. Once trained psychologically, may be we will have better results,” said an officer. CBI officials said the training would help officers handle the pressure while dealing with a particular accused.

The agency has recently investigated cases like 2G scam, Commonwealth Games scam, NRHM scam and coal block allocations scam. “Dealing with complicated cases needs proper training, for which we are now taking help of NIMHANS,” the officer said.

NIMHANS is also known for providing psychiatric help and direct care to victims of calamities such as the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984, the Odisha cyclone and the earthquakes in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-07-15/india/40590910_1_cbi-officers-commonwealth-games-scam-nimhans

Technorati : CBI, MOU, NIMHANS, behavioural sciences, training
Del.icio.us : CBI, MOU, NIMHANS, behavioural sciences, training
Zooomr : CBI, MOU, NIMHANS, behavioural sciences, training
Flickr : CBI, MOU, NIMHANS, behavioural sciences, training

Ministry to push for threefold increase in mental health budget

28-Nov-2012

Centre for Public Health inaugurated on NIMHANS campus

BANGALORE : The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare plans to push for a threefold increase in the mental health budget in the 12th Five-Year Plan.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Centre for Public Health, and a symposium titled ‘Public health priorities in mental, neurological and substance use disorders and injuries’, Sujaya Krishnan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said the department had allocated Rs. 623 crore for mental health in the 11th Five-Year Plan and she hoped for at least a threefold increase in the mental health budget in the next one.

Explaining the need for an increased budget, Ms. Krishnan stated that the number of mental health professionals in the country was inadequate. There was a “severe” shortage of mental health professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses, she said. “There is a huge gap between the number of people required and the number of people available. Data indicates that there is a 66 per cent shortage of human resources in the mental health [sector],” she said.

In this scenario, she said, there was a need for the Medical Education Department and Health Department to work together. “Medical colleges come under the purview of the Medical Education Department that need to look into the existing curriculum and lay emphasis on mental health so that we will have more trained professionals who can treat people with mental disorders.”

Talking about the District Mental Health Programme, which decentralises mental healthcare in the community using various health professionals, she said the Health Ministry would aim to expand it from the current 123 districts across the country to all districts, in a phased manner.

Shekhar Saxena, Director, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, also emphasised the need to increase the mental health budget. While mental disorders made up 13 per cent of the global diseases, the spending on it was less than 3 per cent, he said.

However, an increase in budget alone was not enough, he said. “One of the things that the State governments need to do is to make mental healthcare services available in primary health centres,” he mentioned. Speaking on the Mental Health Care Bill 2012, which is expected to be tabled in the Parliament soon, Ms. Krishnan said it was a “progressive” Bill.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/ministry-to-push-for-threefold-increase-in-mental-health-budget/article4141029.ece

 

 

43 Things： 5 year plan, DMHP, funding, India, mental health, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health
BuzzNet： 5 year plan, DMHP, funding, India, mental health, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health
del.icio.us： 5 year plan, DMHP, funding, India, mental health, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health
Flickr： 5 year plan, DMHP, funding, India, mental health, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health
IceRocket： 5 year plan, DMHP, funding, India, mental health, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health
LiveJournal： 5 year plan, DMHP, funding, India, mental health, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health
Technorati： 5 year plan, DMHP, funding, India, mental health, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health

 WebStory: Twitter without 140 text limit!

Mental healthcare sector cries for funds

28-Nov-2012

With a serious shortfall in funding for the treatment of mental illnesses in the country, an expert has called for an increase in the health budget.

BANGALORE: Dr Shekhar Saxena, director of the department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organisation (WHO), said India currently spent only three per cent of the total health budget to treat mental illnesses, while many developing countries allocate more than 13 per cent for the purpose.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Centre for Public Health and a symposium on ‘public health priorities in mental, neurological and substance abuse (MNS) disorders and injuries’ on Tuesday, Saxena said the burden of mental disease was higher in developing countries than in developed countries.

“The priority now will be to set up more designated centres at public health centres in collaboration with the WHO to cater to the mental health challenges in society and the country at large,” he said.

According to statistics compiled by the WHO, one in four people worldwide suffer from mental health issues, including those stemming from neurological and substance abuse.

The numbers are significantly larger than sufferers of any other common disease in the world. Saxena said cases of depression among women between the age of 15 and 44 were more than maternal deaths, which normally receive greater attention.

“Some 62 per cent of psychiatric beds in the world are still located in mental hospitals, which stigmatises the patient rather than having a community approach to treat mental health problems,” Saxena said and added that there was a severe shortage of psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists and nurses to treat the growing number of mental health patients.

Sujaya Krishnan, joint secretary to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said as Nimhans had established a centre for public health, the institute had a large role to play in addressing mental health issues.

“We are expecting a three-fold increase in the budgetary allocation for the health sector in 12th Five Year Plan,” she said.

Dr G Gururaj, professor and head of Epidemiology, who would be heading the new centre for public health, said it would focus on the neglected mental health issues. “Nimhans is planning to take up one district (as yet undecided) for their pilot project to study mental health issues. The approach of the programme will be different from the National Mental Health Programme,” he said.

Gururaj said Nimhans would also introduce a two-year MPH (Master of Public Health) course to empower the mental health programme.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/294882/mental-healthcare-sector-cries-funds.html

 

 

43 Things： 5 year plan, funding, mental health, MentalHealth, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health, WHO
BuzzNet： 5 year plan, funding, mental health, MentalHealth, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health, WHO
del.icio.us： 5 year plan, funding, mental health, MentalHealth, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health, WHO
Flickr： 5 year plan, funding, mental health, MentalHealth, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health, WHO
IceRocket： 5 year plan, funding, mental health, MentalHealth, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health, WHO
LiveJournal： 5 year plan, funding, mental health, MentalHealth, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health, WHO
Technorati： 5 year plan, funding, mental health, MentalHealth, MOHFW, NIMHANS, NMHP, Public Health, WHO

 WebStory: A super blog editor for bloggers