Identifying mental illnesses is equally important

KOCHI: While familial and societal issues and related crisis play a major role in increased suicide rates among children, a significant number of cases can be attributed to unidentified mental health issues among children.  According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 50 per cent of mental illness begins before the age of 14 years of age while 75 per cent occur between 10 and 24 years of age. This makes early diagnosis and treatment extremely important.

According to Dr Arun B Nair, psychiatrist, Govt Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, parents often tend to trivialise mental issues in children. “When children express their concerns, many parents often dismiss it as mere feelings and ask them to ignore it. Mental illnesses are tangible realities, which need treatment. Many mental issues are caused by abnormal levels of neurotransmitters in the brain and we have medicines to rectify the abnormality. This can go a long way in avoiding suicides in children,” said the doctor.

Though the stigma associated with the disease prevents many from taking their children to the doctor, changes are visible. “In cities, people are taking mental issues seriously, thanks to awareness programmes. We have had many children turning up during the lockdown period with depression and OCD. That’s a good sign, however the same can’t be said for children in rural areas. Even the WHO agrees that suicides due to depression are preventable,” the doctor added.

As for treatment facilities, though there aren’t many specified child treatment centres in the state, every district hospital and medical colleges in the state has a psychiatrist trained to identify and treat childhood mental illnesses. Kerala is also the only state to have a District Mental Health Programme DMHP), under which a team of professionals visit the primary health centres once every month. “Just be enquiring the PHCs about the programme, anyone can avail the service of the DMHP,” added Dr Arun.