INTERNATIONAL WEBINAR ON 'MENTAL HEALTH FOR ALL: STRATEGIES AND ROADMAP'

Looking at the current status of mental health in today’s world, it is very important to ensure that mental health is prioritised now more than ever before. On account of this, the MnP students from the Department of Social Work conducted an International webinar titled "Mental Health for all: Strategies and Roadmap" on the 10th of October 2020 which is observed as World Mental Health Day. The webinar was conducted through Zoom, was live streamed on YouTube and had national and international participants. There were three sessions and each session had different speakers who emphasized on different topics related to the theme. The first session commenced with a brief introduction by Ms. Renu Philips of IIMSW highlighting the educational accomplishments and expertise of the first speaker Prof.Hye Kyung Kang (Chairperson of Department of Social Work, Director of Master of Social Work Program and Associate Professor in Seattle University). The speaker emphasized on the title" The COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health Crisis from a Social Justice- Focused Perspective". Prof. Kang spoke about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and the increase in demand of mental health services and a decrease in its access. She discussed about some of the promising intervention strategies and spoke about policy and advocacy needs. The second session began at 10:30 a.m. Ms. Aishwarya Toppo from IMSW introduced the second speaker- Mrs. Eliza Pereira (Former Head of the Department of Medical Social Work at St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore).

Her topic was "Access to Mental Health in the Indian Scenario". She talked about what Mental Health is and gave emphasis on the fact that it’s totally O.K. to seek help. She also highlighted on some of the myths related to mental health and also shared one of her professional experiences related to one of the myths. 

The third session began at 11:45am with a brief introduction by Sr.Christine Ezhil from IIMSW highlighting the educational accomplishments and expertise of the third speaker Dr.nJames (Assistant professor in Psychiatric Social Work, Central Institute Of Psychiatry, Ranchi). The speaker spoke about the history of community social work and on the institutiobnalization of  persons with mental illness. He also spoke on deinstitutionalization the development of psychotropic drugs and about the change in the public opinion about not isolating the people with mental illness.

After the third session, Fr. Dr. Augustine Lourdu (P.G Co-ordinator, Dept. of Social Work) gave the concluding remarks. This was preceded by the Vote of Thanks by Dr. Shari Tess Mathew (Coordinator of the Webinar, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work).

The sessions were very informative and was successful as the resource persons had great knowledge with regard to the theme. The webinar was mainly conducted in order to raise awareness regarding investment in mental health and improving mental health access in relation to the objective of World Mental Health Day 2020. The webinar aimed to bring in people from multidisciplinary backgrounds in order to create awareness on the importance of mental health.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan- students work for rural development despite the pandemic.

A total of 22 students and three faculty members (Lt. Akshay D. Mandlik (HoD), Dr. Fr. Augustine Lourdu (PG Coordinator) and Dr. Alan Godfrey) from the Department of Social Work conducted 3 pilot visits and have selected 2 villages in Anekal Taluk for currently carrying out the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, a programme by the Government of India. As part of the on-going programme, a total of 94 households have been surveyed in the two villages. Meetings with the stakeholders in the community were also held and a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) was conducted to gain a better understanding of the villages. The students noted that in one of the selected villages, the number of school dropouts was high. This motivated the students to organise a street play on the importance of education. The gathering was also informed about the existence of certain scholarship schemes that could be used to support their children’s education. It is important to remember that all of these efforts are being undertaken at a time when the pandemic has struck fear in the hearts of millions of people in the country. Despite the danger posed by this deadly virus, the students have chosen to undertake this important programme. The Department of Social Work salutes your bravery and dedication to the rural community!

Medical & Psychiatry Students Work in Hospitals around the Country during the Pandemic

With the Covid 19 pandemic causing havoc around the world and in the country, the students of second year MSW students specialised in Medical and Psychiatry have chosen to work in different hospitals around the country from Delhi to Kerala and from Assam to Rajasthan, along with several other states including Karnataka, as part of their month long consolidated field work. The students have taken all the necessary precautions for working in such conditions. Nevertheless, it requires tremendous courage to work in hospitals during such times. The Department of Social Work is proud of you and the wonderful work that you are doing! Keep at it and all the best!