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SSKMs Institute of Psychiatry Kolkata receives 10-15 referred mental health cases from the armed forces a month

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eMediNexus    08 August 2022

According to statistics from SSKMs Institute of Psychiatry - Center of Excellence (IOP), the center receives at least 10-15 referrals for mental health issues from the armed forces each month. These cases included persons from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), all of which are central armed forces deployed to Bengal.

IOP director Amit Bhattacharya reported that the state had allowed them to conduct programs to raise awareness of mental health issues at IOP. He said "In June, a medical officer from a central force approached me to conduct a session addressing mental health issues among the battalion with special emphasis on depression and suicide. We gave training to 100 personnel for two days. Next, we were requested to conduct a virtual session regarding different mental health issues for 100 medical officers of the force across the country. We will conduct that training on August 18. A gatekeeper training program on suicide prevention has been scheduled on Monday with 50 BSF personnel."

These professionals frequently struggle with excessive alcohol usage, depression, and bipolar disorder. Such cases are first noticed when a staff member is absent from work for an extended period or struggles to perform their job effectively.

Another significant issue is the lack of knowledge about mental health problems and the inability to distinguish between psychiatric difficulties and disobedience. Those with poor impulse control are likewise prone to abuse weapons under great stress. A robust hierarchical structure makes it challenging for someone to express their problems. The threat of being accused of disobedience looms big. The stigma around mental health issues is another factor. They are separated from their family members due to the absence of leaves. (Times of India, Aug 8, 2022)

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