‘Sharing positive thoughts is integral to fight mental ailments’

In context of mental health challenges faced by the city Health minister Satyendar Jain has emphasised on the importance of sharing positive thought processes and community-level communication for tackling the difficulties. 

Jain provided his views on Monday at the inaugural ceremony of Mental Health Awareness Week, the week-long event to be held from October 3-10.  

The event is being organised by the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) in collaboration with the State Mental Health Authority, Delhi government to mark the World Mental Heath Day on October 10.  

In mentioning that a positive belief system can be manifested through means of sharing, Jain said: “In my view, the key to mental health system is having a positive belief system which can only be through acts of sharing.” The minister also suggested that psychiatry consultation should be held at community levels rather than at individual levels so that the stigma attached with mental diseases should be removed.

Speaking of the challenges faced by medical experts in dealing with mental health scenario in the city, Dr Nimesh Desai, Director IHBAS said: “Around eighty per cent of the patients still do not want to come to the psychiatrists for treatment. There are more and more juveniles who are also getting affected by mental illnesses. It will be important for the experts to not only create awareness but also create easy accessibility for these challenges. 

“In our endeavor to improve the mental health of the juveniles in the city, IHBAS in partnership with National Commission for Protection Of Child Rights (NCPCR) will aid in training mental health counsellors at the school-levels and at the child care institutes of the city.”

Dr Desai expressed disappointment that mobile mental health units, the ambulance system that was initiated in 2011 for treating the mentally ill and destitute patients in the city have not been upscaled in the past five years. 

“ Our objective was to have two ambulance units for each district, however, after five years, we are still stuck with only two ambulances for the entire city. Legal, bureaucratic and funding stalled this great idea,”  added Desai.