Awareness on mental health issues equally important for caregivers

While we raise the awareness on mental health issues for the young people, there is also a need to also focus on adequate awareness for their caregivers, A Pavithra, consultant psychiatrist at SCARF said here on Friday.

While we raise awareness on mental health issues for the young people, there is also a need to focus on adequate awareness for their caregivers, A Pavithra, consultant psychiatrist at SCARF said here on Friday.

Speaking at a panel discussion held in connection with World Schizophrenia Day by Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF), she said, “We increase awareness about common mental illness in schools and colleges and young people become aware of what they are going through and want to actively reach out for help but it gets stopped at one point or the other where their parents do not understand about it or don’t know how to access care and other such issues.” She noted that even financial dependence plays a significant role in this issue. 

R. Mangala, consultant psychiatrist at SCARF, said, at any given point there is a huge section of young people who have some form of mental disorder and those who seek help for Schizophrenia still stands only at 50-60%. “We need to address quite a few issues, including that of public and self stigma. We should also know that not all mental illnesses come under one umbrella. Different treatments work for different conditions. Many a time it is a combination of multiple factors that lead to anyone developing any kind of mental health issue,” she said. 

There are a lot of people who are able to recover completely and stay away from medication. But there is a small percentage who continue to need medication too. “We have to think of it like having medication for diabetes, hypertension or a cardiac ailment for life. It is like having a maintenance dose and it does not make a big difference. Stopping medication is not the goal but living a comfortable and a productive life is,” she said. 

The film ‘Words on bathroom walls’ was screened during the occasion.