A National Suicide Prevention Strategy is the Need of the Hour

The Vice President of India has called for setting up a National Suicide Prevention Strategy to curb the tendency of youngsters & others to end their lives due to depression & frustration at the 19th Annual Conference of Indian Association of Private Psychiatry (IAPP) , in Hyderabad.

Suicidal Deaths Ratio

Highlights of Speech

  • Health is pivotal in growth & development of a society. A healthy & productive society is important for economic progress of a nation. WHO defines health as “state of complete physical, mental, & social wellbeing, & not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”
  • The developing & the developed nations are beset w⟋different types of health issues, mental illness is one of the leading non-communicable diseases ailing the world & has become a major public health problem
  • According to WHO, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, & is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease
  • Globally, more than 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression. More women were affected by depression than men.
  • In all, nearly 150 million Indians are in a need of active medical intervention, according to the National Mental Health Survey 2015 - 2016 submitted by NIMHANS to the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,

Strategy to Prevent Suicide

  • A need for collective efforts from all stakeholders including the immediate family members, public health planners, policymakers & NGOs to prevent suicides.
  • Timely counseling & family support can prevent people suffering from depression from taking any extreme step.
  • Yoga, meditation & spiritualism will provide mental equilibrium & solace at times of depression
  • Need to strengthen our age old family system, which can provide support for people suffering from dispersion
  • Modern medicines & proper treatment would enable people suffering from psychiatric disorders to lead normal productive lives even if they had faced the problem for a long-term.

Policy & Legislation

  • India has many advantages compared to other countries, cheaper medication & a well distributed public health system across the country.
  • Gaps in the public health system can be potentially addressed through tele-psychiatry (tele-medicine) as done by SCARF foundation in Tamil Nadu.
  • Tele-psychiatry can be tried in other places, especially rural areas w⟋broadband & mobile phones connectivity.
  • Video consultation can be just a ring away! Less human resource usage & availability of quality care can be beneficially utilized.

Medical Tourism

  • W⟋the availability of quality treatment, cheaper medication & lesser costs, there is indeed scope for providing proper mental healthcare services to patients from other countries.
  • Providing employment opportunities for the mentally disabled, who do all the tasks properly after treatment, is another area where policy & planning can make a major impact.
  • W⟋the advent of modern medical treatment of psychiatric conditions, many people have the possibility of becoming financially independent & such people should have provision for employment.

Disgrace & Awareness Pointed by Vice President

  • It is unfortunate that people suffering from mental illness often face ill-treatment & discrimination, sometimes at the hands of close relatives & family members.
  • This is simply unacceptable even it is due to lack of understanding or misunderstanding.
  • Nobody has any right to ill-treat patients w⟋mental illness & such kind of behavior will further aggravate the severity of illness.
  • Bodies should conducts countrywide campaigns in creating awareness among people on this aspect. It is all more necessary in the present times.
  • More than 50 per cent w⟋schizophrenia can be free of relapse at the end of one year՚s treatment w⟋antipsychotic drugs & family intervention.
  • Similarly, up to 90 per cent of those suffering from depression can recover w⟋a proper combination of antidepressant drugs & psychotherapy. There has to be greater awareness on both social stigma & affordable treatment.

Distribution of Mental Healthcare Service

  • Government is unable to provide effective mental healthcare due to lack of adequate number of psychiatrists, psychologists & trained nurses in the field.
  • This shortage has to be filled on a war footing for providing quality treatment to patients.

Finance Distribution on Mental Health

  • Mental health still continues to get less attention from governments in allocating budgets & there is a need for the policy makers to rectify this situation.
  • Most developed nations spend above 4% of their budgets on mental health care & research, according to a 2011 World Health Organization report.
  • In many low & middle income countries (LAMIC) , costs for formal mental health services are paid by the patients or their care givers out of the pocket, this mode of approach will limit the utilization of mental health services according to the ability to pay & resulting in inequitable access to mental health care.
  • Continued high out-of-pocket expenses for mental health treatment may impede access to the treatment especially for those who need greater treatment.
  • The best solution for this problem would be to strengthen public health care system, but till then medical insurance which incorporates mental health is beneficial. Medical Insurance to cover all Psychiatric disorders is the need of the hour.

Mental Healthcare Act, 2017

  • An Act to provide for mental healthcare & services for persons w⟋mental illness & to protect, promote & fulfil the rights of such persons during delivery of mental healthcare & services & for matters connected therew⟋or incidental thereto.
  • It is a patient-friendly act & aims to protect the rights of people w⟋mental illnesses, it also takes into account the caregivers concerns & encourages their involvement.

Tele-Psychiatry (Tamilnadu)

The Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) , which is a nongovernmental organization (NGO) providing mental healthcare services from its center in Chennai, holds the distinction of pioneering tele psychiatry services in India.

NIMHANS (Bangalore)

The National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences is a multidisciplinary institute for patient care & academic pursuit in the frontier area of mental health & neuro sciences.

Examrace Team at Aug 22, 2021