Number of people facing neurological and mental health issues up in the past 10 years: Sudhakar
The Hindu
Bengaluru
A person can be considered completely healthy only if their mental health is also good. The number of people suffering from neurological and mental health issues is increasing over the last 10 years, said Health Minister K. Sudhakar, speaking at the Brain Health Initiative programme at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS).
NIMHANS on Friday celebrated the implementation of the Karnataka Brain Health Initiative (Ka-BHI) — Reflection to Action launched in January this year.
Dr. Sudhakar said brain-related illnesses were also increasing due to non-communicable diseases. “Over the past 10 years, the number of people suffering from mental health difficulties, neurological illnesses, and stroke is increasing. According to statistics, about 7% to 8% of deaths are due to mental health and brain-related issues, which is the second leading cause of death.
The Government of India is conducting a national campaign on mental illness through the T-MANAS tele-counseling platform. The T-Manas platform launched by the Central government was based on the E-Manas platform launched by Karnataka earlier. The State government was already doing a pilot project in Chickballapur, Kolar, and Bengaluru Rural districts with the help of NIMHANS through a hub and spoke model, he said, adding that a plan had been made to make this service available in all parts of the State in the coming days.
PHC doctors are given three months of training in counselling and treatment of mental patients. He said that under the Brain Health Initiative, in the coming days, ANM, CHOs, and ASHA workers will also be trained in this regard and informed about how to counsel and treat those in distress.
Ka-BHI is a one-of-its-kind drive to take state-of-the-art knowledge and technology to the community at the grassroots levels, to bridge the treatment gap, and improve the efficiency of healthcare delivery to patients with common neurological disorders such as stroke, epilepsy, headache, dementia, and infections.