New Delhi: Shocked over the Nagpur incident where a 45-year-old fraud psychologist was found sexually assaulting several females, the Clinical Psychology Society of India (CPSI) has decided to approach the Union Health Ministry to suggest the State governments and Union Territories (UTs) to open allied health council in their respective regions.
Disclosing this to ETV Bharat, a senior member of the CPSI Dr N Suresh Kumar said that the formation of such an allied council could monitor the practising psychologist or counsellor.
“Formation of allied health councils in every State and UTs are very much necessary. Such a council can keep a close watch on the mockery practices,” said Dr Kumar.
Although all the States have been asked to set up allied health councils, this is not happening in a proper active manner.
Over 50 girls have been sexually exploited by a 45-year-old psychologist cum counsellor in Nagpur over the past 15 years under the guise of therapy.
Taking a strong note of the matter, the Clinical Psychology Society of India said that such acts are abhorrent and violate the very essence of ethical and professional conduct and undermine the trust placed in mental health professionals.
“We acknowledge the immense courage it takes to come forward in such circumstances and stand in unwavering solidarity with the affected. We understand the trauma that such violations can cause and are committed to supporting the victims in any way possible,” the CPSI stated.
According to the PSI, the accused individual, described as “psycholoigst-cum-counsellor” is not a registered clinical psychologist with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) but is, in fact, a quack.
“This misrepresentation is not only fraudulent but also severely undermines the integrity and credibility of mental health professionals, particularly clinical psychologists in India,” the CPSI said.
“On many occasions, we have seen that after going through online courses of psychology, people start counselling…so we need allied health councils in every State and UT across India to keep a tab on such practitioners,” said Dr Kumar.
Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav has informed in the Parliament that the Government of India has been making continuous efforts to increase the number of mental healthcare professionals to address the mental health problems in the country.
“The Government of India is implementing the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) in the country. Under the tertiary care component of NMHP, 25 Centres of Excellence have been sanctioned to increase the intake of students in PG departments in mental health specialities as well as to provide tertiary-level treatment facilities. Further, the Government has also supported 19 Government medical colleges/institutions to strengthen 47 PG Departments in mental health specialities,” he said.
“One of the components of DMHP is to provide training to specialist and non-specialist cadres such as Medical Officers, Psychologists, Social Workers, and Nurses,” he said.
The Government is also taking steps to strengthen mental healthcare services at the primary healthcare level. The Government has upgraded more than 1.73 lakh Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
Mental health services have been added to the packages of services under Comprehensive Primary Health Care provided at these Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Operational guidelines and training manuals for various cadres on Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders (MNS) at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been released under the ambit of Ayushman Bharat.
The Government has also launched the Tele MANAS Mobile Application on the occasion of World Mental Health Day in October last year. Tele-MANAS Mobile Application is a comprehensive mobile platform that has been developed to provide support for mental health issues ranging from well-being to mental disorders.
NMHP
It is estimated that 6-7 per cent of the population suffers from mental disorders. A World Bank report revealed that the Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY) loss due to neuropsychiatric disorder is much higher than diarrhoea, malaria, worm infestations and tuberculosis if taken individually. As per WHO, one in four families is likely to have at least one member with a behavioural or mental disorder. These families not only provide physical and emotional support but also bear the negative impact of stigma and discrimination. Most of them (more than 90 per cent) remain untreated. The Government of India launched the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) in 1982, to ensure the availability and accessibility of minimum mental healthcare for all in the foreseeable future, particularly to the most vulnerable and underprivileged sections of the population;
It also aims to encourage the application of mental health knowledge in general healthcare and social development, promote community participation in mental health service development and stimulate efforts towards self-help in the community.
National Human Rights Commission’s take on Mental Healthcare Act of 2017
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) secretary general Bharat Lal has emphasized the need to have empathy and compassion for other people, especially for those who are most vulnerable in society.
He said that the Mental Healthcare Act of 2017 has not been fully implemented nationwide; despite the government’s best efforts, which highlights the problems already in place.
