With depression emerging as one of the major global illnesses, President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said traditional Indian values and Yoga can become good mechanisms to support people suffering from such disorders. He, however, maintained that social stigma attached to such conditions remains a ‘major’ problem in the country.
He pinned hopes on application of telemedicine to meet the shortage of mental health professionals to tackle the disorder.
Speaking at a summit held to mark the World Health Day on Friday with the theme of ‘Depression: let’s talk’, the President said that depression is the most common form of mental health disorders and asked medical fraternity to focus on traditional support systems, social support systems and spiritual beliefs and practices in providing wellbeing
to all.
Around 5.2 per cent of the adult population in India suffers from depression in some form. Health professionals must ‘think globally and act locally’ and come together to meet the challenges of depression, Mukherjee said at the summit organised by NIMCARE.
He also noted that telemedicine application in armed forces healthcare delivery and the health monitoring of Defence Force personnel and their dependents is of paramount importance.
Talking about the Government’s steps to treat mental health disorders, Union Health Minister JP Nadda at another event said that the aim of his Ministry is to ensure implementation of the Mental Health Policy in letter and spirit, and as part of its renewed strategy for mental healthcare services, the Government is strengthening Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres.”
Dr Henk Bekedam, WHO Representative to India said, “Being the single largest cause of morbidity globally, depression is a public health priority that concerns each one of us. The first step towards treatment and recovery is often talking to a person you trust.”
On the sidelines of the event, Dr Smita N Deshpande, Professor & Head of Department of Psychiatry, Centre of Excellence in Mental Health, Dr Ram Manohar lohia Hospital, said to reach out to the rural poor, the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) is aiming to provide quality healthcare at the primary healthcare level. Similarly, the District Mental Health Programme is being upscaled to cover the entire country in a phased manner, she added.
Echoing similar views, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director, WHO South-east Asia, in a statement said that depression if left untreated, in its most severe form, can lead to suicide. However, good thing is that it can be managed and overcome if treated in time, she said.0