Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore

Mangalore, Oct 10: The World Mental Health Day with the theme ‘Mental Health and Older Adults’ was observed with an awareness program at RAPCC conference hall, Wenlock district hospital on Thursday October 10.

The programme was inaugurated by Arun Chowdapurkar, principal district and sessions judge of the district.

Speaking after inauguration, he said "we see a lot of mentally challenged people wandering the streets. Looking at them, the general public call them as shabby but in fact when it comes to mental illness, it includes everyone of us."

"In this modern world, due to a fast track life and other activities, mental stability is lost by every individual," said Arun Chowdapurkar stating that a rise in temper as a daily activity can also be termed as a type of mental illness.

These kinds of programmes should reach the general public and awareness must be created among them on how to cope up with mental problems, he added assuring his support for such programmes.

On the occasion, Dr V Surendra Shetty, pro vice chancellor, Manipal University released a leaflet on mental health awareness.

Dr K S Madhav Rao, president of the Indian Psychiatric society, Karnataka chapter; Subramanya J N, principal senior civil judge, secretary of district legal service authority, Dr H S Shivakumar;district health and family welfare officer, Dr Irappa, RMO;Dr Ravish Thunga, professor & HOD of Psychiatry, KMC; Dr Sunil Kumar, Dr Caroline P D’Souza among others were present.

The programme was organized by the department of Psychiatry, KMC and Wenlock district hospital in association with district legal service authority and Manaswini and Indian Psychiatric society.