Experts have warned about the alarming rate at which mental ailments are increasing in India, especially the common stress-related mental disorders i.e. depression and anxiety disorders.
They were sharing their thoughts at the Indian Railway Psychiatrists’ annual two-day conference (IRPSYCON-2022) hosted by the Scientific Society of Health Professionals (SSHCP) at Central Hospital, North Western Railway here. The conference concluded on Sunday.
The theme of the conference was: ‘The Practice of Industrial Psychiatry in Indian Railways: Emerging Challenges in a Rapidly Changing Occupational Scenery’.
“Let us review, review, restructure and rationalize our knowledge, attitude, behavior and practice, which is not only essential under the current circumstances but also to improve the health outcome of patients,” said Dr. Ram Matoria, organizing secretary of the conference.
According to the National Mental Health Survey-2015-16 (NMHS-2015-16), almost 15 percent of Indian adults need active interventions for one or more mental health problems, the experts said.
“Mental disorder can involve emergencies or prolonged illnesses, be subclinical or fully developed disorders, and most of the time they go unrecognized due to people’s negligence, lack of objective procedures, or poor services, including lack of health professionals. mental health trained to detect and diagnose mental illness. on time,” said Dr. PK Samataray, NWR PCMD.
These issues, which can have an ominous impact on the workforce in any industry setting, can be addressed with the addition of the appropriate neuropsychological assessment component to the pre-placement medical examination of candidates and the periodic medical examination of employees in employment. the rail environment, added Dr. Samataray. .
When asked why mental health is important in the railway workplace scenario, Dr. Prasanna Kumar, DGRHS, said that Indian Railways (IR) is the backbone of the passenger and freight transport systems in the country.
He said that the operation of higher-speed trains requires attention, alertness and the ability to respond appropriately with precision and promptness to make prudent decisions in the dynamic situation of train driving.
“The skill and competence of locomotive drivers, their insight and experience in formulating strategies to deal with the various situations associated with train operation involve the manifestation of specific cognitive, psychomotor and behavioral skills,” reported Dr. Kumar.
