‘Treat mental illness as seriously as cancer’

TNN | Dec 31, 2015, 02.48 AM IST

PANAJI: Psychological illnesses are one of the most under recognized, under diagnosed and undertreated diseases that a person can have. "Both obesity and mental depression are serious illnesses," Texas Tech University's department of nutritional Sciences chairperson and professor, Dr Nikhil Dhurandhar, said, adding that these shouldn't be dismissed as behavior inclined conditions but treated with the same seriousness as cancers.

"Consider obesity a disease and not moral failure. Don't blame people," Dhurandhar advised while delivering his lecture on 'Lifestyle Therapy for Obesity' at the formal launch function of the Goa Psychology Association at Panaji on Wednesday.

Governor Mridula Sinha urged counsellors to keep their personalities and prejudices aside when counselling people with mental illness. "You can't separate the mind from the body when counselling people. You have to study the situation that the person lives and works in and his physical strengths too," she said. Joint families she said ensured that elder members made time for children in the family and any issues would be resolved at home.

Vowing to work collectively to battle mental illness in the state and highlight the importance of mental health care, executive members of the Goa Psychology Association were formally inducted into the association on Wednesday. Practicing clinical psychologist, Amita Quenim, was formally installed as founder president, while dean of Joseph School of Business Studies and ex principal of St Xavier's College, Newman Fernandes, was appointed as vicepresident.

Deputy chief minister Francis D'Souza, who was also present at the event, said it was unfortunate that mentally ill people continue to face social stigma. Many families even refuse to take patients home even after they have recovered at the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour, Bambolim, he pointed out. "It is possible to recover from mental health problems," he said while stressing on the need for counselling right from childhood.

Amita Quenim said both professional and monetary help would be given to the mentally ill and appealed to people not to hesitate to take help from psychologists attached to the association.

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