Psychiatric approach to suicide survivors devised

Psychologists at Mission, K R Hospital join hands with experts

Two most common reasons for suicide are: financial issues and incompatibility in relationship. In the case of failed attempts to end life, the survivor is sure to suffer from depression, the one illness that goes unnoticed till mental health assessment and treatment interventions are put to practice, according to a recent report.

Addressing media, here, on Friday, Dr Muralikrishna from CSI Holdsworth Memorial Mission Hospital, who, along with Dr Rajgopal, a consultant psychiatrist at K R Hospital under Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, prepared the report said, most people in rural and urban areas resort to deliberate self-harm (DSH) for financial matters and relationship issues.

“However, even though they recover after sometime, they are bound to suffer from mental illness or depression. It could be addressed with psychiatric intervention,” he said.

Dr Rajgopal said, to effectively deal with such growing cases of psychiatric issues post suicide attempts, the duo counselled around 2,000 such persons every year for a period of three years. Paul Keenan and Steve Jones from the Faculty of Health and Social Care at Edge Hill University, England, were the other partners in the research, who together secured a grant of 24,000 pounds from Tropical Health and Education Trust, London.

Intervention

Apart from identifying the health issues among the target group, it was identified from where the actual intervention has to start. Nurses who form the chunk of health workers, who deal with patients most of the time, are being trained for the purpose, as a part of the extended activity.

Dr Rajgopal said, as many as 120 nurses from Mission and K R Hospitals have been already trained at a workshop conducted in different levels — knowledge, symptoms, communication skills, online mechanism and clinical practice. The best among the trainees, especially senior nurses, will be trained under ‘train the trainers’, as a boost up programme for 20 months, in the next level.

Plans are afoot to extend the programme to community level, by identifying persons suffering from the disorder. 

In the existing set up, Mission Hospital alone is involved in the work at Yelwal hobli in the rural level and Mandi Mohalla in the city, the locality where the hospital is located.

Dr Rajgopal said, a dedicated approach to the victims of deliberate self harm (DSH) is inevitable, with the Southern region, including Mysuru in the State, witnessing rapid suicides in recent years.