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Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 22 (EMN): Mon district conducted a training programme for master volunteers under ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’ (NMBA), via a webinar on October 22 on the topic “Mental health and substance abuse”.
Addressing the participants on the importance of mental well-being, the director of Serendip Guardians, Rini Ghose, stated that there is no health without mental health. She added that the pandemic was hard for everyone with the economic crisis, fear, and anxiety griping the society, leading to stress.
She also pointed out the common symptoms of mental health such as excessive worrying and fear that affect normal life; excessive sad and low; confused and problems to concentrate; extreme mood swings; prolonged strong feelings and irritability or anger.
Other affects of the pandemic according to the speaker included avoiding friends and socials activities and difficulties in understanding or relating with other people, changes in sleeping habit or feeling tired and low energy; and overuse of substance.
The speaker went on to present various kind of substances and its uses resulting in negative consequences leading to misuse and abuse that cause maladaptive consequences and dependency.
Ghose also shared the consequences of substance use that results in health issues, social stigma, isolations, financial debts and other problems. She further highlighted various disorders caused by the use of substance.
While pointing out that substance use and mental health go hand-in-hand, she cautioned that substance abuse could increase the underlying risk for mental disorders.
Another speaker and psychiatric social worker from Serendip Guardians, Rugozevou Khate, spoke on the psychological intervention.
While emphasising on the comprehensive requirement of bio-psycho-socio management, she highlighted various forms of management such as bio-medical modalities, psychological treatment modalities, and social-cultural treatment.
She also told the participants on the model and management, action, maintenance to respond to the situations and reaching to the people for intervention.
Also stressing on the role of the family in intervention management, Khate stated that dependency on alcohol and drugs is a disease and not lose moral. She, therefore, advocated the need for early intervention and treatment.
Later, an interactive session was also held between the speakers and the participants.