Newskarnataka-Ramanagara
Ramanagara: The Bangalore has become the capital of suicides in the recent past owing to pressures of life, state mental health taskforce chairman Dr Ashok Pai expressed deep concern.
Addressing the media persons, at the office of district health and family welfare officer, here Dr Pai said that although those who are employed in IT-BT had to work under pressure, while a few with weaker minds take the easy way out by committing suicide. It’s a major concern that the state capital is becoming a capital of suicides in the country, said Dr Pai.
Fourteen crore people out of India’s 120 crore population, need psychiatric treatments for different degrees of mental disorders. In the past, Bangalore was heaven for retired employees, while at the changed times, even the elderly cannot cope with the daily pressures of life. The depression, suicidal tendencies and alcohol addiction are affecting the most psychiatric cases, said Dr Pai.
As per the statistics released by WHO, India’s 2 percent of population are affected by unsound minds, 2 percent are affected by scattered brain, 4 percent are affected by frustration, hype and anxiety, 4 percent are affected by personality disorder, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, social evils and 2 percent are affected by behavioural changes. The acute lack of resources to safeguard mental health is a major concern, stressed Dr Pai.
‘I have gone on a tour to all 30 districts of Karnataka in the past 10 month to study the mental health programmes. I have visited all the district hospitals and noted 4 districts – Yadagiri, Bijapur, Haveri and Karwar have no psyctriatrist at all. The mental health taskforce aims to make Karnataka a model state free from mental illness,’ said Dr Pai.
‘It’s mandatory to have at least one psychiatrist at every district hospital that should have 10 beds reserved for drugs and alcohol addicts. There lies greater need to create awareness in schools on mental illnesses. The general awareness should be organized on superstitious beliefs, witchcraft and other social evils. The head of the school should be assisted by a clinical psychologist in imparting sex education, said Dr Pai.
The district health and family welfare officer Dr Raghunat, district surgeon Dr Vijaya Narasimha, psychiatrist Dr Rajini and others were present on the occasion.