Did you know that untreated hypothyroidism can progress and have devastating effect on women causing a multitude of disorders like birth defects, infertility, goiter, heart problems and mental health issues. Ankita Kothari, an industry analyst from Frost and Sullivan shares her research findings with the PatientsEngage community
What are the common risk factors for hypothyroidism?
Sex and age are the most common risk factors. Hypothyroidism is more common in women compared to men.…
Are you confused about all the labels used for persons with disabilities? Manisha Shastri explains why Person comes first, the origins of the word "handicapped" and what's wrong with other labels. And when in doubt, ASK So, let me try and break this down for those who don’t understand why the term ‘persons with disability’ is politically correct and accepted, while all other terms are fairly offensive and exclusionary in nature. While addressing a person with disability, you use the term…
iCall, a psychosocial helpline started by Tata Institute of Social Sciences, provides the crucial support to callers facing mental health problems. An interview with Paras Sharma, programme coordinator, iCall, who states that access to mental healthcare is pitiably scarce in India. When and why did you feel the need to set up a Helpline? The need for setting up something like iCALL has always been there and even with iCALL around now, it is not like there is no need…
Dr Sudhir Kumar, a consultant with specialisation in old age psychiatry and neuropsychiatric disorders discusses his views on the importance of Dementia Friendly Communities (DFCs) and how India needs to work more towards it Dementia-friendly communities help people with dementia feel included and supported in the day to day surrounding – the places they work, live and play A dementia-friendly community focuses on spreading awareness about dementia and providing a safe and supportive…
Multiple Sclerosis International Federation, (MSIF) London is reviewing the current principles, which determine the “Quality of Life” of persons who have MS. As part of the said consultative committee, a feedback as regards the same is being sought from MS persons around the World. MSSI is looking to consolidate the feedback. Join our discussion here. The Current Principles 1. Independence and Empowerment People with MS are empowered as full participants in their communities and…
There were so many good articles and infomation that came around Autism Awareness Week 2016. We thought we would pick the few we liked. If you would like to suggest a few more, please add the stories and the links in the comments below. 1. A delightfully made film on two sisters - one neurotypical and one with autism with a twist at the end. Features a communication device and shows the feelings of the person with autism quite nicely. Loved the bubble wrap The Big Date 2. Velvi, the…
There is much more to life for people affected with Parkinson’s disease than treatments and medications, believes Sudha Meiyappan, founder of Parivarthan, a community support group in Chennai that provides a safe platform to those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disorder. Shaik Mohideen Sahib returned to India couple of years ago after he retired as a Hindi teacher for 20 years in Muscat, Oman. This was not his best time since his mother had recently passed away, he was …
International Autism Awareness Day 2016 #autismawareness Madurai based Velvi is one of the few organisations in the world, and probably the first in India, that has applied techniques of theatre and drama to address issues of autism. Dr Parasuram Ramamoorthi, the chairperson of and brain behind Velvi, shares its remarkable journey. Your organization, Velvi, is an early adopter in India in applying drama to transform the lives of children and adults affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (…
International Autism Awareness Day 2016 #autismawareness A significant number of children with autism are gifted artistes and need to be provided the appropriate environment and stimulation to flower. Kavitha Krishnamoorthy, parent, arts facilitator, activist, observer-of-children, shares her insights and learnings in this conclusion of a two-part series article on autism spectrum disorder. As I began observing and working with more children with autism, I realised that what I saw with my son…
