On Wednesday we had the opportunity to visit the NIMHANS Center for Well Being, a branch of the NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences) government hospital that focuses on physical and mental wellbeing through a variety of clinics and supportive services for families, individuals, and children of all ages. The clinics range in focus, including women’s mental health, healthy use of technology, parent child interactions, and positive psychology in youth. Mental health professionals spoke about each of these specifics clinics, sharing with us about some of the approaches, and most common challenges that clients experience. The organization considers the biological, psychological, and social realities of clients, in order to address challenges holistically.
Thus far in our travels through Chennai, Pondicherry, and Bangalore, we had not visited many locations that focused on mental health, and it was encouraging to hear the work that this organization does, in order to best meet the needs of the community. The mental health professionals reported that hundreds of clients use each clinic on a weekly basis, therefore allowing many people the ability to work towards healthier relationships and better mental health.
We heard about the Youth Pro Initiative - a program that develops and promotes positive concepts of mental health for all young people, and works to remove stigmas around discussing mental health. Adolescents who participate engage in activities around social support, breaking barriers to help seeking, positive psychology, rectifying negative bias, and harnessing creativity. The clinician who shared about the program was enthusiastic about the strengths of the youth she has worked with, and seemed to be passionate about inspiring young people to change the social connotations around mental health.
This abounding hope in the power of the younger generation has remained a theme throughout the trip. One of the articles that we read for class regarding ethnotheories among Indian parents spoke of this as well, remarking that children are considered to be divine and nearly perfect, based on the Hindu belief in the innate tendency of the unconscious mind (gunas) toward light (sattva). As a result, it is often seen that children should be nurtured and preserved (Saraswathi & Ganapathy, 2003).
This belief was also apparent when we heard women in the Pulicat Fishing villages share about their hope that the children of the village can improve gender equality in years to come. It is clear that children as viewed as a source of optimism and hope for a brighter future. The visit to NIHMANS was invigorating, as a group of students studying psychology, some of whom may go on to be mental health professionals ourselves!
-Emma
Thus far in our travels through Chennai, Pondicherry, and Bangalore, we had not visited many locations that focused on mental health, and it was encouraging to hear the work that this organization does, in order to best meet the needs of the community. The mental health professionals reported that hundreds of clients use each clinic on a weekly basis, therefore allowing many people the ability to work towards healthier relationships and better mental health.
We heard about the Youth Pro Initiative - a program that develops and promotes positive concepts of mental health for all young people, and works to remove stigmas around discussing mental health. Adolescents who participate engage in activities around social support, breaking barriers to help seeking, positive psychology, rectifying negative bias, and harnessing creativity. The clinician who shared about the program was enthusiastic about the strengths of the youth she has worked with, and seemed to be passionate about inspiring young people to change the social connotations around mental health.
This abounding hope in the power of the younger generation has remained a theme throughout the trip. One of the articles that we read for class regarding ethnotheories among Indian parents spoke of this as well, remarking that children are considered to be divine and nearly perfect, based on the Hindu belief in the innate tendency of the unconscious mind (gunas) toward light (sattva). As a result, it is often seen that children should be nurtured and preserved (Saraswathi & Ganapathy, 2003).
This belief was also apparent when we heard women in the Pulicat Fishing villages share about their hope that the children of the village can improve gender equality in years to come. It is clear that children as viewed as a source of optimism and hope for a brighter future. The visit to NIHMANS was invigorating, as a group of students studying psychology, some of whom may go on to be mental health professionals ourselves!
-Emma
