NIMHANS ready for counselling

Experts of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), who counselled the victims of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan last year, are ready to hold counselling sessions for people from northeast, if the state government approaches them.

 Following the exodus of more than 20,000 people from the city in the last three days, psychiatrists of the institute said, “If the government approaches us, we are ready to counsel and take confidence-building measures for those who are still in the city and even for those who come back.

” “Our Social Work and Psychiatry Team will swing into action,” said Dr P Satish C h a n d r a , D i r e c t o r , NIMHANS. He said that the situation calls for ‘needbased counseling’.

 The counseling programme involves sensitisation of the leaders of northeastern associations and communities. Counselling sessions would be held in schools and colleges where the children of people belonging to northeast study.

 The sessions would also be held at places where these people work. “The Department of Psychiatric Social Work already has a team to manage such a situation,” said Dr Chandra.

 He maintained that the political role in building confidence is the most effective.  “The government needs to play an active role more than anybody else.

 It has to identify cases where counselling is required and inform us,” he said. He believed that rumour-mongers have operated using the ‘fear psychosis’ method on the vulnerable population.