District mental health programme to focus on vulnerable groups

CHENNAI: District Mental Health Programme is planning on providing comprehensive mental health services to vulnerable groups and frame a State policy on de-addiction services. As an extension to its existing services, several new initiatives are planned.

In order to cater to the psychological needs of certain vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and lactating mothers, working women, sanitary workers, senior citizens, first generation graduates and unorganised sector workers, the programme will focus on providing counselling and mental health support based on proportionate universalism, i.e., universal services but with an intensity and scale that is proportionate to the level of degree of need of these specific groups.

The department will also establish mother baby mental health promotion units to offer maternal mental health services incorporating the strategies as being used in similar units in NIMHANS.

The officials with the State Mental Health Authorities say that a State policy on de-addiction is being framed and all the Tobacco control services will also be linked with the District Mental Health Programme in all the districts.

"The authority will be establishing a dedicated De-addiction centers in the 28 districts to provide comprehensive de-addiction and rehabilitation services in coordination with other departments. This would be spread across three levels- Primary, Secondary and Tertiary, based on the type of intervention required," the official said.

The District Mental Health programme is also focusing on establishing comprehensive counselling centers in all districts as a one point of contact and linkage center for psychological counselling, tele consultation and social welfare services. Additionally, the persons living with mental health illnesses will be engaged in key aspects of service planning and decision making process of the programme and to create such a system, in the form of Patient Support Groups will be formed at the Primary Health Centers-level or Village Panchayat-level.