by Mayukh Goswami
Mangaldai : ‘ There is alarming rise of suicidal cases in Darrang over the last few years . Before the last years the district recorded the highest no of such cases in the state . However the scenario has improved a little and at present it is in second position after Dhemaji.”, said Dr Munindra Medhi, the senior most Psychiatrist in the Mangaldai Civil Hospital.
Talking to this correspondent on October 10, the day of celebrating the World Mental Health Day , Dr Medhi while speaking about the significance of celebrating the day said , “ Generating awareness about the mental health and discussion on the programmes undertaken to check and treat mental illness are the significance of celebrating the day. In addition to that the another goal of the celebration of the day is the removal of stigma and discrimination associated with it. “ This year the day is celebrated with the main theme “ Mental health in unequal world.” The mental health cases are on the rise due to increase in unemployment , domestic violence cases etc in the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic . It is important that like the physical health every mental ill patient should get equal medical treatment irrespective of cast , creed , religion and races .
“ Psychiatrist Dr Medhi asserted. He further stated that the mental health simply doesn’t mean absence of mental illness. It is the psychological state of someone who is functioning at the satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment. A person with positive mental health normally doesn’t suffer from anxiety , depression or get addicted to intoxication . He can engage himself with in jobs according to his capabilities or he can maintain a sound relationship with other members of the family . But it can’t be expected from a mentally weak person. “ We may take the help of regular physical exercise , yoga , positive thinking and a good habit of sleep at nights “, Dr Medhi suggested. Dr Medhi lamented that the WHO has identified India as the most frustrated country in the world. In the last twenty seven years or so 17% population of India have suffered from some kind of mental health issues. Meanwhile in between April ,2020 and August, 2021 the Adolescent Reproductive and Sex Health (ASRH) cell of the Darang district health department has registered 35 cases of depression , 19 cases of stress , 25 cases of substance abuse , 5 cases of suicidal tendency , 6 cases of violence , 76 cases of learning problem and 33 other cases of mental disorder for patients in the age group of 10-19 years.
These statistics to some extent remind us about the impact of Covid 19 on the children and adolescents of the district. SATRA (Social Action for Appropriate Transformation and Advancement in Rural Areas ) , an NGO which has been running a community mental health programme for the last several years , conducted a survey in nine interior villages in another Aspirational district Udalguri to know the mental health and mental well being of parents and children (u-14 years).
Data were collected between May 6 and May 11, 2020 with relevant questions being asked through an android app to 110 (one hundred and ten) randomly selected parents who are from marginalized sections and more than 86 percent of whom, educational qualification is below XII standard. It is revealed from that survey that 48.18% fear of transmission of Covid19. Similarly 70.91% stated that their children tend to overreact to situations and get irritated quite often . Regarding sleeping late or having trouble sleeping, the survey showed that 58.18% children are afraid of the virus having trouble falling asleep. Moreover 60% of children made false complaints of headache or stomach pain , 61.82% were worried about reopening of their schools , more than 80% believed that their happiness had been reduced to some extent . According to Kamaruz Haque , Senior Programme Manager of the NGO , the survey concluded that 63.86% of children were suffering from minor problems like depression and anxiety.
