The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Urban mental health project will benefit software professionals

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 04, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Urban mental health project will benefit software professionals

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, OCT. 2. Even as software professionals, particularly those employed by multinationals are becoming vulnerable to psycho-physiological disorders owing to enormous stress in the globalised scenario, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has started a three-year project on urban mental health problems.

S.Nambi, president-elect, Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS), said here yesterday that Chennai was chosen a nodal centre, apart from Delhi and Lucknow, for the research. The Planning Commission was keen to assess "anticipatory health problems" in the next two decades due to rapid urbanisation. For the first time in the country, the focus shifted to urban mental health. The study would also ascertain the feasibility of extending it to other urban centres.

New psychological problems faced by computer professionals would pose a tough challenge to psychiatrists. Many in the age group of 35-40 felt that they had become mentally old, Dr.Nambi said.

Empty nest syndrome

M.Murugappan, Director, Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Chennai, linked the common mental disorders to loss of social life, less human interaction and too much of work pressure. Periodic counselling should be arranged at the work place, besides imparting stress-reduction techniques to the affected. Another new problem was the "empty nest syndrome", which parents of professionals suffer after their wards go abroad, he said. Apart from the IMH with a sanctioned strength of 1,800 in-patients, the Government issued licence, under the Indian Mental Health Act, 1987, to 38 non-governmental organisations and private agencies to run nursing homes or hospitals for the mentally-ill. Chaining the mentally ill was not widely prevalent, thanks to the government ban, he said.

Mental health week

As per the guidelines of the World Health Organisation, the World Psychiatric Association and the IPS, the IMH would observe the "mental health week" from October 4 to 10 with "the relationship between physical and mental co-occurring disorders" as its theme. Activities covering different areas of mental health in Chennai, focussing on different target groups, with a view to creating awareness of the problems arising out of mind-body relationship and the means to reduce them would be organised, Dr.Murugappan said. Camps would be held at four different locations to screen and guide those with mental health problems for professional help. During the `reaching out to the unreached' programme, awareness of the increasing domestic violence and alcohol-induced problems would be created, he said.

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