HT : Only 10% mental patients in India are treated : Oct 13, 2007

Only 10% mental patients in India are treated
 Reason: shortage of docs, stigma attached to such disorders
 Sanchita Sharma
New Delhi

WHY IS it that some people hang themselves, or hit the bottle, or just flip
channels whenever India loses to Pakistan on the cricket field? Is how you
respond to a situation something you determine yourself or is it out of your
control?

How you behave when the chips are down depends on biological, genetic and
social factors that are way beyond your control. Small changes in the brain
chemistry can change the way people behave or react to a situation. If
neurotransmitters - the chemicals in the brain that help nerve cells com
municate with each other - are out of balance or are not working properly ,
messages may not make it through the brain correctly leading to symptoms ,
of mental illness. In addition, defects in or injury to certain areas of the
brain can also cause illnesses.

"Psychiatric disorders are treatable, especially if identified in childhood
and adolescence. Restoring the chemical balance in the brain is the mainstay
of psychiatric treatment along with giving psycho-social support in the form
of counselling the person and the family says Dr Amit Sen, consult ," ant
child psychiatrist, Sitaram Bhartia Institute. "Over 10 per cent children
and adolescents are affected by a psy chiatric disorder but there is not a
single course for child psychiatry or clinical psychology in our country. As
a result, many problems go untreated, affecting a child's development," says
Dr Sen.

Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said, "There is a big gap between supply
and demand. Less that 7.5 per cent of mental health disorders need
hospitalisation and 60 per cent can be treated by a general practitioner,
yet less than 10 per cent psychiatric disorders get treated. Training
practitioners and paediatricians to identify problems will reduce
hospitalisation."

sanchita.sharma@hindustantimes.com MAIN CAUSES Genetic: Susceptibility to a
psychiatric disorder is passed on in families through genes, but most
illnesses are linked to abnormalities in a cluster of genes. Infections:
Infections have been linked to brain damage and the development of mental
illness. Brain defects or injury: Defects in or injury to certain areas of
the brain. For example, an injury to the left side of the brain may cause
depression.

Addictions: Alcohol and drug abuse. Prenatal damage: Disruption of early
foetal brain development or trauma that occurs at the time of birth may
cause autism. Toxins: Malnutrition and exposure to toxins can cause
retardation. Severe trauma: Emotional, physical or sexual abuse as a child
or the loss of a parent. Socio-cultural factors: Factors such as obesity,
skin colour, unmarried/divorce status.

Publication :HT; Section : Summit; Pg : 14; Date : 13/10/07
URL  :
http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=12_10_2007_014_001&typ=0&pub=264