National Mental Health Programme: Not only your body, your doctor will take care of your mind too

Don’t be surprised if you go to your doctor with severe backache and he asks you about your mental state instead. The state government is providing training to government doctors, nurses and health training in assessing the mental health of patients. The aim is to deal with depression and postpartum depression at grass-root level. For this, the government will train more than 70,000 employees, including 8,000 doctors from government medical colleges, district hospitals, mental health hospitals, primary health centres and community health centres across the state, in the next five years.

The training is being imparted under the National Mental Health Programme. As per the data shared by the state government in the ongoing Assembly session, 18 people kill themselves every day in Gujarat; in the last two years, the state reported 12,758 cases of suicide. The victims are from across age groups and economic backgrounds. On Saturday, 26-year-old doctor Ruhi Hathidra committed suicide in the PG hostel room of BJ Medical College due to exam pressure.

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Last week, an 18-year-old engineering student suffering from depression leapt to her death from the sixth floor of ISRO staff quarters at Vikramnagar Colony. Earlier this month, a 66-year-old bidi businessman suffering from depression shot himself dead at his SG Highway home. According to the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2016, conducted by NIMHANS and other agencies, experts estimated 1.24% of adults – one in every 15 persons -- in Gujarat are depressed.

An official said, “Currently, mental health services are available only in large cities and few districts. There are several people who suffer from depression, anxiety, stress, and phobias. However, they are not aware of this. Doctors, too, are not trained to find the right cause for their illness. By training health staff to detect mental health issues, such people will get right treatment at the right time If certain illnesses like schizophrenia are not treated in time, the patient has to depend on medicines throughout his/her life.”

Satish Makwana, deputy director (Health and Medical Services) of Ahmedabad region, says, “Mental health has a lot to do with our physical wellbeing. Once a doctor is sure that there is no physical reason behind a person suffering from back pain, he will explore the patient’s mental state. S/he will ask about the patient’s mood, whether they are losing appetite or sleep, whether they are losing interest in activities, whether they feel helplessness, hopelessness or experience suicidal thoughts.

All this will help in finding the psychological reason that is causing the pain. By giving primary care, we can stop them from becoming chronic cases. If we feel that the patient needs expert treatment, we can refer them to psychiatrists.” The World Health Organization (WHO) study states PHC physicians can easily handle common mental health problems and address them immediately.

Dealing with depression and post-partum depression is one of the targets given by NITI Aayog to the State. Programme Officer (Mental Health) Ajay Chauhan says, “Often, females fall into depression following delivery. If it lasts for more than a month, then it needs to be treated. Gynaecologists can be trained to recognise the symptoms and provide apt treatment. This training is expected to bridge the 75 per cent gap in treatment that exists currently.”

Chauhan adds, “WHO study says 50% of patients suffering from depression attempt suicide. Of this, 50% are successful in taking their lives. So, untreated depression is a major cause of worry. We are aiming to reduce this gap by training health staff at grassroots level.” Reproductive Child Health Officer Gautam Nayak admits there is a stigma attached to seeking help for mental issues.

“However, this training will go a long way in tackling this issue as MBBS doctors will be trained to detect mental health problems and treat them at the primary stage.” RV Pathak, Chief District Medical Officer (Kheda), says, “By training health employees in PHCs and CHCs, entire communities across the state will be covered. We will be able to diagnose many more people and provide them treatment at the right time.”