Thursday, 13 July 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The State government has recently announced that it would follow in the footsteps of the Centre in the implementation of the latter’s mental health policy in this State. It further emphasised that both mental health and physical health must be taken with equal importance because mental health complications aggravate one’s vulnerability to physical ailments. Keeping this mission in view, the State government has decided to implement the mental health policies.
The scene in India is really frightening as over 70 million people across the country are suffering from common to severe mental disorder problems with the rate of suicide increasing alarmingly. This is the high time for the Uttarakhand government to rise up to the challenge of increasing mental disorder cases in the State, the health experts this correspondent talked to said.
They were unanimous in their views that the State government should implement the mental health policy sincerely with the cases related to unsound mental health increasing in the State. They further opined that the State government should organise awareness programmes on the importance of keeping mental health in every district of Uttarakhand.
Asked to comment on the State government’s adoption of the mental health policy, the Doon-based clinical psychologist Dr Sona Kaushal Gupta said that mental health is something that has never become an important issue for the government as well as for the common people. She ascribed the increase in the number of mental sickness cases to the educational stress and cut-throat competition the youngsters are being subjected to aside from their addiction to multiple forms of social media. “The initiative taken by the State government on this crucial matter is well-timed,” she said, adding that the State government should play a proactive role with the Centre in combating the challenge being posed by the increasing instances of mental disorder, particularly among the youngsters.
While speaking on the State government’s proposed initiative on opening rehabilitation and de-addiction centres across the State in good numbers, she said that this would help the drug abuse victims to rid themselves of this deadly habit. “Besides, the State government must organise awareness programmes in every corner of the State regarding the mental health problems and the spiralling drug abuse cases,” she said.
Noted clinical psychologist Dr Mukul Sharma said that this was not the first time that the State government had formulated a mental health policy. “The problem arises when it comes to serious and sincere implementation of such a policy. Most of the government-run medical facilities do not have a professional team of psychiatrists to cater to the mental health problems of the people,” he said.
He further said that he would suggest the formation of a monitoring body by the State government which will check whether the respective guidelines are being followed appropriately or not. “We have so far failed to address the mental disorder problem appropriately. We may hope that this time things will turn better with the State government’s involvement,” he added.
