14 November: Doctors from the psychiatry department of Woodlands cleared misconceptions pertaining to suicide and highlighted the tall-tale signs by which one can gauge acute depression, often a precursor to suicide, at a discussion organised by the hospital on World Mental Health Day, on October 10.
Renowned psychiatrists of the hospital, who spoke in two sessions of Facebook Live (available on the Woodlands Hospital Facebook page), also highlighted other key mental health issues of today, like alcohol addiction, the propensity to deliberately harm oneself and the ideal “screentime” for children.
During the pandemic, faced with the wave of uncertainty it brought about, including economic duress, there was a “pandemic of mental health issues”, too, though not everyone was aware that they were affected, said Dr Rima Mukherjee.
On the topic of suicide, she said it was a misnomer that someone threatening to commit suicide would never do so. “It is true that sometimes a person who is on the verge of a break-up may use suicide as a threat. That is why being able to differentiate is very important. If someone has no agenda and yet is visibly distressed, has gone into a shell, has lost a lot of weight, can’t get sleep… these are some signs to latch on to and get professional help,” said Dr Mukherjee.
Dr Sabyasachi Mitra spoke of anti-suicidal medicines, which, contrary to popular belief, are not habit-forming. “One must also consider the side effects of the illness before considering the side-effects of the medicine. It is important to recognise the signs of depression and act early because therapy does not work at a very acute stage,” said Dr Mitra.
In the second session, on the question of ideal “screentime” for children senior psychiatrist Dr Amarnath Mallick said even though, education was dependent on the online route today, screentime should not exceed two to three hours a day. “But a parent needs to practice what he or she preaches. You cannot confiscate your ward’s mobile while fiddling with your own mobile in the other hand,” he said, adding: “Encourage them to take up sports, reading and other habits and partake in the activity sometimes with them.”
“Mental health is of utmost importance, right from childhood, through adolescence to adulthood and old age. We must realise that there should be discourse on and awareness of mental health issues and we must get help if we ourselves or someone we know is struggling,” said Dr Rupali Basu, Managing Director & CEO, Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital Ltd.
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