*Nozia Sayyed Friday, January 14, 2011*
A proposal by Yerawada-based Regional Mental Hospital to the state government to create a separate ward for treating mentally ill children is gathering dust. The proposal was submitted to the state government way back in 2008. Establishing such wards, insisted the hospital authorities, is imperative since mentally ill children are vulnerable and need special attention and care. “Moreover, some children tend to be more violent and hence they must be kept separate from other patients,” the hospital authorities added. Medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Manohar Yadav, told *DNA *that so far the state government has not responded to the proposal. “It has been noticed that children with mental illnesses are more vulnerable than adult patients and need more attention. They cannot be accommodated with the adult population of mentally ill in the same ward as patients with mental illnesses are bound to get violent. In such situations, chances of harming or hitting oneself or others are high due to which segregation is important,” Yadav explained. At present there are just two children below the age of 12 admitted in the hospital among 1,800 patients. According to hospital authorities, over the years there has been a steady rise in cases of mental illnesses in children. Senior psychiatrist of the hospital, Dr Vilas Bhailume, said that two to three cases were reported at the outpatient department (OPD) about five years ago. But now the number has gone up to almost 10 to 12 cases per month. These children are below 12 years of age and most of them come with mental retardation and psychosis, he said. The hospital had proposed to create a separate ward with all facilities and a small garden for such children. The deputy director and senior psychiatrist of Maharashtra Institute for Mental Health (MIMH), Dr Krishna Kadam, said that paediatric cases need special attention and to handle these cases psychologists, counsellors and social workers are needed along with doctors and trained staff. “Most of the paediatric mental illness cases go unnoticed because parents do not seek psychiatric help. They avoid reporting it because they assume it to be a temporary problem and think it will be cured once the child reaches adolescence. Even parents need psychiatric awareness so that the child can be provided with early counselling and treatment,” Kadam said. Dr Archana Patil, joint director, state health services, said that the proposal is yet to be discussed with the state health director. “But for the time being the hospital officials can accommodate the paediatric cases in a makeshift ward on the hospital premises,” Patil said. Most patients suffer from schizophrenia In India almost 2% of the population suffers from mental illnesses out of which 0.5-1% belong to the paediatric age group. A majority of these patients suffer from schizophrenia, said medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Manohar Yadav. http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_ward-for-mentally-ill-kids-far-from-reality-in-pune_1494343-all -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
