presidential address
Presidential Address
Address delivered at the ANCIPS 2009 in Agra on 9th January 2009
The Vision:
Undergraduate Psychiatry
It is a paradox that the undergraduate (graduate) medical curriculum has lesser provision (hours of training) for psychiatry than the nursing curriculum. Despite the repeated efforts to provide more thrust on psychiatry in graduate medical education, the status quo remains so as to contradict the WHO definition of health. With the current training, medical graduates trained in “body medicine” will be miserable in identifying common mental disorders. The medical council of India (MCI) has to intervene urgently to include psychiatric training (doctor patient relationship, identification of common psychiatric problems, co-morbidity of psychiatric disorders in physical illness, somatic symptoms and their relevance, and basic non-pharmacological and pharmacological principles). If not, the efforts of empowering primary care providers will be a disaster. Undergraduate psychiatric training also will minimize irrational psychotropic use and ‘doctor-shopping’ of hapless subjects with unexplained physical symptoms.
The IPS task force on advocacy should take immediate steps to ‘psychoeducate’ the agencies concerned.
Disaster Management
India has been traditionally vulnerable to natural disasters on account of its unique geo-climatic conditions. About 60% of the landmass is prone to earthquakes of various intensities; over 40 million hectares is prone to floods; about 8% of the total area is prone to cyclones and 68% of the area is susceptible to drought. United Nations General Assembly, in 1989, declared the decade 1990-2000 as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. Major natural disasters include super cyclone in Orissa, earthquake in Lathur and Gujarat, and tsunami in Tamil Nadu. 40
Of recent many man made disasters as a part of terrorism have driven the Indian society to a state of panic. The bomb blasts in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Delhi, Bangalore, and Gauhati have inflicted considerable psychological trauma.
In 2003 the Home Ministry has launched an India Disaster Resource Network (IDRN) and released a Status Report on Disaster Management in India in 2004. There was suggestion for introducing emergency health management in MBBS curriculum and in-service training of Hospital Managers and professionals. However, the involvement of psychiatric professionals either in crisis management or in managing psychological sequelae is not highlighted. IPS has already a taskforce on disaster management. The society has to be involved in disaster management programmes of the country.
Networking with other organizations
In this century of world becoming smaller and smaller with a pledge of “brain circulation in psychiatry” (instead of brain drain and brain gain) it is important to have networking with likeminded organizations, national and international, for better psychiatric care. This will also facilitate faculty exchanges and research collaborations.
IPS is a member of WPA (World Psychiatric Association) and SAARC psychiatric federation. SAARC psychiatric federation comes under Asian Federation of Psychiatric Association (AFPA). IPS has links with Indo-American Psychiatric Association, Indo- Australian Psychiatric Association, British Indian Psychiatric association, and Indo- Canadian Psychiatric Association. Another organization involved in training and service delivery representing 18 countries is South Asian Forum International (SAFI).
The collaboration and the goodwill of these bodies should be encouraged for the benefit of Indian Psychiatry. The Royal College of Psychiatrists can assist in teaching and training in collaboration with IPS.
I hope, the networking will open new avenues of teaching and research in India.
"You are where you are today because you stand on somebody's shoulders. And wherever you are heading, you cannot get there by yourself. If you stand on the shoulders of others, you have a reciprocal responsibility to live your life so that others may stand on your shoulders. It's the quid pro quo of life. We exist temporarily through what we take, but we live forever through what we give"
Vernon Jordan
Conclusion
I have tried to outline certain areas which need special attention by the psychiatric fraternity. I shall try to initiate the process with your co-operation, but it is up to you all to carry forward the mission in years to follow. Let us hope that IPS will take leadership in mental health matters of India.
"When looking at the future, the "what" is far more predictable than the "when." And the "how" will always feel different than predicted."
Thomas Frey
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