Sikkim stakeholders make a study trip to mental health institutions

GANTOK,: Stakeholders from the State government and civil society attended a “Mental Health & Suicide Reduction in Sikkim Consultation Workshop for Stakeholders” at Center for Mental Health Law & Policy (CMHLP) at Pune and Ahmedabad between December 1 and 6. The workshop was organized by Sikkim INSPIRES, State Health & Family Welfare department.

The initiative from Sikkim INSPIRES utilizes a participatory process including stakeholders from the health service delivery system, community stakeholders and persons with lived experience during the planning and implementation phases, informs a press release.

Participants for the consultation workshop included a diverse group which aims to unite community and civil society representatives to inform an inclusive, localized strategy for the ultimate goal of improving mental health in Sikkim. The participants were Kopibari panchayat member Swarnim Lama, Namchi DC Anupa Tamling, School Health Programme SPO Dr. Karma Chaden Bhutia, Sikkim INSPIRES nodal officer Dr. Sonam O. Lasopa, NBBGC assistant professor Dr. Nancy Choden Lhasungpa, Sikkim INSPIRES PDD Roshnila Gurung, Modern senior secondary school teacher Yankila Lama, BDS president (Martam block) Chumila Bhutia, and media persons Nirmal Manger, Bhuwan Sharma and Yashu Sharma.

The primary purpose of the consultation included working on the roadmap and strategies for mental health and suicide reduction in the State. This activity documented the processes and insights from the stakeholder consultations for mental health and suicide prevention conducted earlier between September 9 and 12 at Gangtok in collaboration with the CMHLP, Pune.

The session was led by CMHLP director Dr. Soumitra Pathare, program manager Amiti Varma, assistant program manager Swetha Ranganathan.

The CMHLP team presented a draft report based on the earlier consultations which was discussed in length with engagement of all participants from Sikkim providing perspectives and inputs from their respective fields. This was followed by a session on planning and prioritizing the next steps towards a strategy for mental health and suicide reduction in the State.

The consultation workshop also focused on learning about evidence based mental health and suicide prevention interventions being implemented in other states in the nation.

The sessions were received with enthusiasm and all stakeholders from the Sikkim team were involved in active participation and insightful discussions owing to the enriching information and implementation research presented by the CMHLP team members.

Further, the program also included field visits to four villages in Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Gujrat to benefit from practical learnings about ongoing community mental health (ATMIYATA) and community suicide prevention interventions (SPIRIT) that are being implemented. The ATMIYATA program has been accorded as one of the 25 best mental health community programs in the world by the World Health Organization.

During the visits, attendees interacted with program implementers which included community volunteers as well as the beneficiaries at the community to gain insights about the processes as well as the challenges of community interventions for mental health. Some of the interactions were held at the primary sub health center/Ayushman Arogya Mandir to understand referral linkages from the community to the institutional mental health service delivery system. The team also visited the district hospital at Mehsana and interacted with the district mental health program team led by chief district medical officer-cum-district nodal officer.

Additionally, officials from the Planning & Development department and Health department travelled to the institutes of expertise in mental health in the country to explore strategies to improve mental health with particular focus on suicide reduction and de-addiction in Sikkim, the release adds.

From December 6 to 7, the Sikkim INSPIRES team visited the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) where the team discussed the mental health landscape and challenges in Sikkim with the TISS authorities.

The TISS team gave a presentation on various field projects on mental health which included the School Initiatives for Mental Health Advocacy (SIMHA) to promote the well-being of young people in educational systems. The program involves advocacy for mental health, capacity building of service providers as well as peer support and research.

An overview of the Mumbai Education Research Innovation and Training (RISE) Project was also presented which aims to support underprivileged children and youth in education and employment. Following the presentations, discussions were held on the development of modules and interventions for targeted at risk groups for mental health issues which include children who need care and protection as well as children in conflict with law. The possibility of training community members for peer support and lay counseling was also discussed.

The Sikkim INSPIRES team also visited the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS), Banglaore which is the apex centre for mental health and neuroscience in the country. The two-day visit on December 9 and 10 involved meetings to “Address High Suicide Rates and Enhancing Mental Health” in Sikkim chaired by the Director, NIMHANS Dr. Pratima Murthy.

The NIMHANS director highlighted the importance of mental health initiatives and assured the necessary technical support on the initiatives planned in Sikkim though the Sikkim INSPIRES Program.

In conclusion, the visits to CMHLP, TISS and NIMHANS aim to inform the mental health initiative of Sikkim INSPIRES, H&FWD focusing on two strategic actions: advancing mental health policies and scaling up quality interventions and services for individuals in Sikkim. The overall strategy will employ a systems strengthening approach that involves establishing community based systems for mental health provision with a localization priority combined with policies, structures and processes required to sustain these services, the release mentions.