Health Min backs adding 'role of Indian traditions in mental health' in medical syllabus

On the occasion of World Mental Health Day 2021, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday suggested a new inclusion in the medical syllabus - Indian tradition and its role in keeping good mental health. He also urged the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurological Sciences (NIMHANS) to study the issue deeply to enable the government to make a decision and formulate a policy.

In an event organised by NIMHANS, the Union Health Minister said, "We need to understand the traditional way of curing mental problems. I am thinking whether we can incorporate in our syllabus the role of our traditions in keeping good mental health." 

He also said that the experts should study the traditional family structure, which, he claimed, cured mental problems. Mandaviya stated, 

"All our festivals were part of mental treatment. Our gatherings on religious and social events, our prayers in the morning and evening, and our Aarati are all associated with our mental health. These traditions used to treat mental problems."

The Health Minister also said that the NIMHANS should give tasks to its students on doing research and not just limit them to study books and pass in the exam. 

"The country has lots of expectations from the institutes, its faculty, and researchers because these alone can be the basis for the development of the country and its future. Modi Ji has emphasized upon research. We want that your work should be nation-centric."

World Mental Health Day 

October 10 is celebrated as World Mental Health Day across the world every year. This day aims to spread worldwide awareness regarding mental health, its importance in one's life, and why one should never neglect mental health issues. Since the pandemic hit the world, it has thrown various challenges into the lives of people, and the most pinching one remains the acceptance of the "new normal".

Apart from challenges, this pandemic has also opened opportunities for people to talk more freely about their mental health and issues they have been facing.

According to the World Health Organization, "The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on people’s mental health. Some groups, including health and other frontline workers, students, people living alone, and those with pre-existing mental health conditions, have been particularly affected. And services for mental, neurological, and substance use disorders have been significantly disrupted. "

(With PTI Inputs)