About five crore people in the country have mental disorders, and they need special care and attention, said C. Swaminathan, Vice-Chancellor of Periyar University here on Tuesday.
He was addressing a workshop on ‘Cognitive behaviour therapy for emotional disorders,’ organised by the Department of Psychology.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, about 22 per cent of the people in India develop one or more mental or behavioural disorders during their lifetime, he said.
India spends less very less for mental health programmes when compared developed countries. Among South East Asian countries, India ranks top in suicide rate between 2000 to 2012.
The Vice-Chancellor stressed the importance of effective management of emotions at various walks of life. He lauded the the State Government for appointing psychologists and mental health counsellors at districts, and in prisons and schools.
The resource person of the programme Gini K. Gopinath explained various components of the cognitive behaviour therapy. S. Kadhiravan, Professor and Head, Department of Psychology welcomed the gathering.
