The vulnerable and disadvantaged segments of the society remain at a much greater risk of experiencing marginalisation and are especially susceptible to falling prey to mental illnesses and substance addiction, Governor Droupadi Murmu said on Friday.
While addressing the inaugural ceremony of a three-day conference on ‘Social Work Practice: Emerging Trends & Challenges’ at the Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP) in Ranchi, Murmu said, “Our changing way of life, with fast-paced urbanization and the weakening of the traditionally-strong family bonds are some of the important causes of social disorders. While in rural communities the problems of poverty, social exclusion and marginalization greatly increase stress, these communities have reduced access to opportunities.”
The conference marks the Golden Jubilee of the Department of Psychiatric Social Work at the CIP.
It also marks the completion of 50 years of the Indian Society of Professional Social Work (ISPW) – a national conglomerate of psychiatric social workers and doctors constituted in Ranchi half a century ago.
“Professional social workers have a huge responsibility to spread awareness about these issues, to educate the public and to help facilitate access to various government programs that can help those in need. Social workers also play a vital role in enabling non-governmental organizations to play a meaningful role in mitigating problems in local communities,” said the Governor.
Psychiatric social work is a field of psychiatry that helps mental health patients reintegrate in the society after their treatment is over.
This process requires expert guidance due to the stigma and superstitions related to mental illnesses in India, especially the rural society, said doctors.
A psychiatric social worker also helps patients cope with unfavourable social conditions that may aggravate their mental illnesses.
These professionals study the social settings of a patient, help him or her adjust in it, and also spread awareness about the various mental health concerns.
The conference saw participation of psychiatrists and psychiatric social workers from across the country on Friday. The delegates shared their views and also spoke about ways to deal with the dearth of psychiatric social workers in the country. One of the objectives of the conference is to identify the challenges in the process and find ways to address them, said doctors from the institute.
CIP Director Dr. D Ram said that there are four pillars supporting the larger umbrella of psychiatry. The four, he said, are psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers and psychiatric nurses. He added that in order to achieve success in effectively addressing mental health issues, the society and the medical fraternity needs a healthy balance of all the four pillars.
