Long-standing drought in the rural parts of Karnataka can be considered a possible trigger for mental health deterioration. There is increased risk of substance use among adolescents and young adults during post-disaster situations, according to the Karnataka Mental Health Report-2019 brought out by CHD Group.
The report, released recently, also found a link between mental health and flood, a disaster at the other end of the spectrum. “This calls for priority attention to those hit by the 2019 floods,” said the report. The south-west monsoon floods severely affected life in 103 taluks of 23 districts in the State last year. The victims must be monitored for psychosocial disruptions and provided with extensive rehabilitation, the report said.
The CHD Group, which has been involved in several health relief missions in India and abroad, said, “Disaster mental health services generally follow preventive medicine through multi-dimensional integrated community approach rather than relief-centred post-disaster management. Psychosocial support must be duly provided to those who lose their loved ones.”
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