Dr Ankit Patel, a Pune based psychiatrist, who himself has dealt with depression, says his mission now is to educate people about mental illness and reduce the stigma associated with it.
According to World Health Organization 56 million people suffer from depression and another 38 million people suffer from anxiety disorders in India. Which would you classify as the 5 most common psychiatric disorders?
Depression
Generalised Anxiety Disorder
OCD
Panic Disorder
Schizophrenia/ Psychosis
Are…
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for discoveries that have led to new medicines that activate the immune system and drive it to fight cancers. These therapies can defeat even the deadliest malignancies. Two scientists, Professor James P Allison from the US and Professor Tasuku Honjo from Japan, who discovered how to fight cancer using the body's immune system have won the 2018 Nobel Prize for physiology or…
To move or not to move to a senior living community is a topic of discussion amongst many as they approach retirement and for many years after retirement. Retired Chief Executive Mr. S. Balagopal shares the factors that affected their choice and what they like about their senior living community. #QualityOfLife Tell us a little bit about your background and your family. I am a Physics Graduate with an Electrical Engineering degree as well and have worked in the Private Sector in…
Delhi hosted a Mental Health Festival recently which was a convergence of ideas and therapeutic activities related to mental health issues. Moyna Sen takes a look at the 2-day interactive session. Two Mental Health Initiatives, The Red Door, Pune, and Bhor Foundation, New Delhi put together an interesting mix of events for a Mental Health Festival titled Merchants of Madness in Hauz Khas, Delhi, on 1st and 2nd September. The festival aimed to start a conversation on mental health between…
Pranab Kumar Basu has turned a counsellor after being a full-time caregiver to his wife who was suffering from Cancer. He discusses his experiences of supporting cancer patients who are apprehensive about hair loss. In your experience, who suffer more hair loss after chemotherapy: men or women? Hair loss occurs in both men and women but in respect of volume women suffer more hair loss. For whom is it more traumatic: men or women? Is there an age profile that is affected more? It is more…
Dr Neena David, a Clinical Psychologist, emphasises the importance of developing positive coping skills, a sense of resilience and a growth mindset among adolescents and teenagers as they have long term positive mental health outcomes and stave off suicidal tendencies. You have many years of experience in setting up processes for school mental health programmes. What changes did you need to bring about in your programmes over the years? I am not sure I understand this question- ‘your programmes…
...Life is precious - life is worth living." reminds Yen-Lu Chow. When their son and only child Lawrence Chow ended his own life at the age of 26 after suffering for many years from manic depression, Yen-Lu Chow and his wife Yee Ling went beyond grieving and coping with the tragedy. They involved themselves in mental health initiatives in Singapore which have, in turn, given them a purpose in their lives. Tell us about your mental health initiatives in Singapore. Mental wellness is not…
Parimal Pandit, Clinical Psychologist and Program Director, V-Excel Educational Trust Chennai describes the signs of depression to watch out for, how fathers and mothers react differently and how a special needs family can build resilience. 1. A journey of a special needs parent goes through many ups and downs. What are the stages at which parents are most vulnerable? (Are these different for a mother v/s a father) When a child is diagnosed with a chronic condition or a…
Dr Divya Parashar Head of Rehabilitation Psychology at Indian Spinal Injuries Centre narrates what helped one of her patients, who was paralyzed waist down, come out of his self-imposed exile at home to face the world in a wheelchair. “I don’t want to be seen in a wheelchair, and you can do nothing about it,” said a very determined Deepak (name changed to protect privacy), sitting in my office. A fever had rendered him paralyzed from waist down three years ago. Every morning, he would…
