A webinar on ‘Transformative Strategies for Brain and Mind Care’ held on December 17 focussed on innovations in neuropsychiatric care.
This was held as a part of The Hindu wellness series in association with Buddhi Clinics, Chennai. The panellists presented published research papers and case studies around models of neuropsychiatric rehabilitation that blend science with tradition to improve activities of daily life and quality of life.
Neuropsychiatric disorders occur across the lifespan from autism and epilepsy in childhood to traumatic brain injury, depression and schizophrenia in adult life and stroke, Alzheimer’s dementia, and Parkinson’s disease in old age. According to the World Health Organisation’s Global Burden of Disease study, in 2019, 2.41 billion individuals had conditions that would benefit from rehabilitation, contributing to 310 million years of life lived with disability. This number had increased by 63% from 1990 to 2019. However, with rehabilitation often being seen as a disability-specific service, it has not been prioritised in countries and is traditionally under-resourced.
“Modern science is evolving, but those solutions will not kick in as early as this decade, which explains the need for a wide basket of offerings in terms of treatment,” Buddhi Clinic founder, behavioural neurologist and neuropsychiatrist, Ennapadam S. Krishnamoorthy said.
The speakers highlighted the need for a rehabilitation model that is multidisciplinary and multicomponent. Integrated brain and mind care include Ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, neuromodulation, neuropharmacology, physical and occupational therapy, clinical psychology.
Buddhi Clinic’s head of neuromodulation and clinical neurosciences Vivek Misra explained that traditional treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders are hindered due to side effects and limited efficacy, and invasive brain procedures like surgery are not accessible to most people.
Buddhi Clinic’s chief clinical officer and general physician, Rema Raghu presented a patient’s case - a 70-year-old clerk from Puducherry, with Parkinson’s disease, anxiety, clinical dysautonomia and other co-morbidities. The patient’s health improved after he was administered five hours of psychotherapy, 20 neuromodulation sessions, 20 hours of physiotherapy alongside 15 hours of holistic therapy.
