Page 3 - Mental Health

Reducing social media usage by 30 minutes improves mental health: Report

Reducing social media usage by 30 minutes improves mental health, job satisfaction while frequent users find it difficult to focus on their work, a study has found. Researchers found that the less social media use led to the individuals feeling less overworked and lower levels of fear of missing out popularly known as FOMO on important happenings in their network when they aren't online. Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum and the German Center for Mental Health, Germany, found that refraining from social media gave people more time to do their job and thus suffered less from divided attention. "Our brains can't cope well with constant distraction from a task," explained Julia Brailovskaia, author of the study published in the journal Behaviour and Information Technology'. "People who frequently stop what they're doing in order to catch up on their social media feed find it more difficult to focus on their work and they achieve poorer results," said Brailovskaia. For the study

NIMHANS to start comprehensive rural mental health programme 'NAMAN'

The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences and the Ashraya Hastha Trust have signed an MoU with multiple stakeholders to implement a comprehensive rural mental health programme named "NAMAN" in two different taluks in India, officials said on Saturday. As of now, the programme is being implemented in Munsiyari taluk of Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand and Belur taluk of Hassan district of Karnataka to cater the mental health needs of the whole population of the two taluks. This will also help them to test the feasibility of rolling out such a programme across the country, they said. The programme plans to follow a lifespan approach, which would cover the entire population from womb to tomb, officials said. According to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), the national launch of the Comprehensive Mental-Health-Action-Programme for Rural Communities would be held on December 18. The proposed "NAMAN" programme will be completed within

Nimhans, University of Liverpool ink MoU for next phase of collaboration

National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Liverpool, the UK, for the next phase of their collaboration on research into neurosciences and mental health. To further bolster this initiative, Bengaluru-based NIMHANS inked a pact with Pratiksha Trust, which will provide 1.5 million pounds for the research alliance. A special event to mark the signing of the MoU and to celebrate the research partnership took place at NIMHANS on Tuesday. According to NIMHANS, the collaborative partnership between NIMHANS and the University of Liverpool, established in 2002, has had a profound impact on global healthcare saving over 200,000 lives. The collaboration has also attracted substantial external funding, totalling 10 million pounds, from various organisations like the Wellcome Trust, the UK Medical Research Council, and the Indian Council for Medical Research, and the Gates Foundation, a NIMHANS statement

Mass killing suspect in Maine had mental health issues, say authorities

A US Army reservist who opened fire at a Maine bowling alley and a bar earlier this week and killed 18 people purchased his weapons legally, authorities said Saturday, adding he likely launched his rampage as a result of underlying mental health issues. The body of Robert Card, a firearms instructor, was found Friday at a recycling centre in Lisbon Falls that police had searched a day earlier. Card died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. The 40-year-old Card of Bowdoin was suspected of also injuring 13 people during the shooting rampage on Wednesday night in Lewiston. State Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said law enforcement scoured the Maine Recycling Corp property, where Card once worked, on Thursday night. Sauschuck said another state police team returned Friday to the site, which has about 60 trailers, and found Card's body alongside several guns in a trailer that hadn't been searched. Jim Ferguson, the ATF special agent i

US states sue Meta claiming its platforms are addictive, harm mental health

Dozens of US.states, including California and New York, are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. A lawsuit filed by 33 states in federal court in California, claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents' consent, in violation of federal law. In addition, nine attorneys general are filing lawsuits in their respective states, bringing the total number of states taking action to 41 and Washington, D.C. Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms, the complaint says. It has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and ...

Mental health: Women opt for teleconsultations, while men prefer in-person

According to the WHO, India bears a significant mental health burden of 2,443 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per 100,000 population

82% young Indians say parents would be supportive in mental therapy: Study

The survey also said that parents play a vital role in a family to discuss and fight mental health issues

82% young Indians say parents would be supportive in mental therapy: Study

The survey also said that parents play a vital role in a family to discuss and fight mental health issues

World Mental Health Day 2023: Date, Theme, Importance, Facts, Celebration

World Mental Health Day highlights the significance of comprehensive help for people confronting both long-term physical illnesses and related mental health issues

74.4% callers seeking help via Tele-MANAS in 18-45 age group: Govt data

The government's national mental health helpline Tele-MANAS has received 3.4 lakh calls since its launch in October last year with every three out of four callers belonging to the 18-45 age group, official data showed. Of the total 3,46,935 calls that were received, 55.8 per cent were from men while 44.2 per cent from women, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The toll-free helpline received an average of around 2,000 calls in a day and the major reasons for calling were sleep disturbances, sadness of mood, stress related and anxiety in descending order, official sources said. They said 74.4 per cent of the callers fall in the age group of 18 to 45 years. At present, 44 Tele MANAS cells are operating through 33 states and Union Territories including Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Ladakh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, West Bengal,Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Assam. The highest number of

Kota coaching institutes address student suicide, focus on mental wellbeing

Sports, lighter schedules, mentorship, and enlisting experts such as psychologists and cousellors are among some of the steps taken by institutes

Kota coaching institutes address student suicide, focus on mental wellbeing

Sports, lighter schedules, mentorship, and enlisting experts such as psychologists and cousellors are among some of the steps taken by institutes

Nagaland govt launches Tele-MANAS to fight mental health challenges

To provide mental health support to people to those in need in Nagaland, the Tele-Mental Health and Neuroscience (Tele-MANAS) initiative was launched on Tuesday, an official said. Tele-MANAS would provide mental health services to those in need by offering remote access to mental health professionals, said Mission Director National Health Mission, Dr Ritu Thurr during the launching ceremony held at the State Mental Health Institute here under the auspices of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. The initiative facilitates early identification of mental health issues, enabling timely intervention and care, he said. Highlighting the comprehensive nature of mental health, encompassing emotional, psychological, and social well-being, he said mental health extends to thinking patterns, emotions, behaviour, stress management, relationships, and decision-making. Through technology-driven mental health services, Tele-MANAS aims to minimise the stigma attached to seeking mental health support, he ...

Mental health platforms aim for higher growth on rising corporate tie-ups

Several firms are eyeing growth due to an increase in corporate tie-ups and rising awareness about mental health

Amid rising suicides, NITI Aayog plans healthcare programme for children

The programme, for both government and private schools, will focus on policy interventions for mental health promotion, prevention and interventions to school children

Mental health of JU students to be among top priority areas: New VC

The newly-appointed Jadavpur University officiating Vice Chancellor Buddhadeb Sau on Monday said that in the backdrop of the recent death of an undergraduate allegedly following ragging by seniors, mental health condition of students, including freshers, will be in focus of the authorities. Sau, who was appointed by Governor and Chancellor C V Ananda Bose on Saturday, told reporters after a meeting that CCTV cameras will be installed at various points including entry points. He also said that those who are staying in hostels even after passing out will have to leave immediately and hostel supers will ensure that. "We are putting stress on the mental health condition of students if they are in a state of trauma or stress. As part of UGC guidelines, we are also working on mentor-mentee relations. This is one of the several aspects in improving the mental health conditions of the students," he said. Stressing the need for holding student union elections, which have not been conducted

Railways withdraw statement on mental condition of accused RPF constable

The Railways on Wednesday said in a statement that no mental ailment was detected in the last periodic medical examination of the RPF constable accused in the Jaipur-Mumbai train shooting incident but withdrew it within hours. Railway Protection Force (RPF) Constable Chetan Singh (33) is accused of gunning down his senior colleague Tika Ram Meena and three passengers aboard the moving train near Palghar railway station on the outskirts of Mumbai in the early hours of Monday with his automatic weapon, officials had said. He was nabbed later. Following media reports claiming that the constable suffered from "abnormal hallucinations" and was diagnosed with serious anxiety disorder, the Ministry of Railways in a statement said that the matter is being investigated by the Government Railway Police (GRP), Borivali. "In this regard, it is stated that there is system of Periodical Medical Examination (PME) of Railway Protection Force constables, and in the last PME, no such medical ailment/

84% people from northeast relocate for better medical facilities: Report

Most migrate due to a lack of availability of human resources and essential requirements such as hospital beds, physical infrastructure, drugs, and diagnostics

Govt working on mission mode to address mental health: MoS Bharti Pawar

The government considers mental health an important public health concern, and the work on it from boosting facilities to training doctor and other experts, is being done in a "mission mode" under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union minister Bharti Pravin Pawar said on Wednesday. Addressing a national conference on mental healthcare hosted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) at Vigyan Bhawan here, she also lamented that the society still does not look at mental health in the right way. She asserted that it is critical to remove the stigma that prevents individuals from seeking help. "Mental health is an integral part of our health as it affects all aspects of our lives," the Union Minister of State for Health said, adding that it affects people cutting across age, sex, social and economic status of individuals. She said according to a National Mental Health Survey of India conducted through NIMHANS, Bengaluru in 2016, the prevalence of mental disorders

2,000 cured patients still housed in mental hospitals across country: NHRC

More than 2,000 cured patients are still housed in mental hospitals in the country when they should not stay there even for an extra day, NHRC chairperson justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra said on Wednesday. The NHRC chief said this in his address during a national conference on mental health held at Vigyan Bhawan here, in the presence of Union Minister of State for Health Bharti Pravin Pawar, among other dignitaries. "A hospital is not a place where cured patients should be allowed to stay even for a single extra day," justice Mishra said. In his address, he made a reference to a report prepared by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), based on visits made by teams of the Commission and its special rapporteurs, from July 2022 to January 2023, of various mental healthcare institutions in the country. "The report indicates that there are more than 2,000 cured patients in mental health hospitals when there should not be even one cured patient in a hospital. A hospital is not a