Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 10: World Mental Health Day was observed across Jammu province.
Minister for Medical Education, Youth Services and Sports Taj Mohi-ud-Din today stressed the need for attending to mental health needs alongside physical health, particularly in J&K.
In his message on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, Minister said now that the World Health Organisation has declared mental health as a component to determine the health condition of an individual, it is incumbent upon all of us to give as much priority to mental and psychiatry diseases as these deserve.
Taj expressed concern over the growing incidents of suicide by young people and suggested undertaking studies to know the causes and suggest remedies.
Minister said Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) have seen a phenomenal increase in Valley owing to continued violence for past two decades or more. He said though the Government apparatus is doing its job in rehabilitating and curing these patients but the society at large needs to be involved in counseling and recuperating these patients.
On World Mental Health Day, Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy organized a lecture on “Awareness and Mental Health issues”.
The lecture was delivered by Dr JR Thapa, Former HoD Psychiatry, Government Medical College and was attended by the research scholars and students of Faculty of Social Sciences.
Prof Jigar Mohammed, Director, Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, presented the welcome address.
Among others present were Prof Arti Bakski, HoD, Psychology, Prof Shailendra Singh Jamwal, HoD History, Prof Suman Jamwal, Dr Sharda Sharma, Dr Shyam Narayan Lal, Dr Madhulika Singh, Dr Tirath Raj Bhoi, Dr Varsha Gupta of Department of History, Prof Dipankar Sen Gupta, HoD Economics and Dr Chandra Shekhar of Department of Psychology.
A legal awareness camp on World Mental Health Day was organized at Government District Hospital Samba under the chairmanship of Inder Singh, Chairman, District Legal Services Authority, Principal, District and Sessions Judge Samba in collaboration with SS Bali, Chairman, Tehsil Legal Services Committee.
Dr Rakesh Magotra, Mental Health Specialist, District Hospital Samba highlighted the symptoms and remedies of mental diseases.
Geeta Kumari, Munsiff, Judicial Magistrate 1st Class apprised the patients of mental diseases about their legal rights.
Ram Lal Sharma, Tehsildar, Samba, member Tehsil Legal Services Committee, Ajay Gupta, Rakesh Bhagat, Dr Bharat Bhushan, Deputy Medical Superintendent, District Hospital Samba, large number of patients and people were also present.