T.N. evolving transdisciplinary approach to persons with mental health issues, says MP

At the third International Conference on Mental Health And Inclusive Development at the Madras School of Social Work (MSSW) here on Friday, she recalled that in the late 1980s her father, also the Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, had introduced psychiatry departments in all government medical college hospitals

Tamil Nadu is evolving a transdisciplinary approach to persons with mental health issues, said Member of Parliament Kanimozhi Karunanidhi.

At the third International Conference on Mental Health And Inclusive Development at the Madras School of Social Work (MSSW) here on Friday, she recalled that in the late 1980s her father, also the Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, had introduced psychiatry departments in all government medical college hospitals, moving the treatment out of the Institute of Mental Health.

“None of us can really say that we have not gone through mental health issues as everything around us can affect us. Everybody needs that support to get back to where we want to be. We want a holding hand, understanding, and leaning support,” she said.

With a competitive world putting pressure on students, it is necessary to understand how a child responds, she said. She adds,” How we work on caste, gender suppression, the kinds of problems a woman faces – we need the entire system to understand what caste, gender, social justice and poverty mean, what education does to us.” The community should together, as human beings, help persons with mental health issues instead of allowing government to make a decision about where a person should be, she said. Earlier, she received a copy of the impact report on mental health from a representative of Sundram Fasteners.

Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health Centre for Transdisciplinary Research was launched on the occasion. The conference is being held by Banyan, a non-governmental organisation which is working with persons with mental health issues and the MSSW.

Food secretary J. Radhakrishnan recalled his experience during his tenure as health secretary about an interaction with an inmate of the Institute of Mental Health here. The State government grappled with challenges of institutional care and wandering mentally-ill people, he said. The government was currently evolving a policy on homeless persons and lessons learnt from foreign countries as well, he added.