|
|
EXPOSURE PROBLEM
Mental illness is posing a host of problems in our society as we are being exposed to more and more stress in our daily lives. A seminar on mental health, held at the H. L. Roy auditorium of Institute of Chemical Engineers recently, provided rare insights into these problems.
The seminar, hosted by the Science Association of Bengal (SAB) and Diagnostic and Applied Neuropsychological Association (DANA), had the objective of creating public awareness about six mental illnesses - epilepsy, mental retardation, alcoholism, schizophrenia, depression and Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Debasish Bhattacharya, former professor of the Institute of Psychiatry, talked about schizophrenia, the most prevalent psychological ailment. He explained that speech aberration and hallucination were symptoms of schizophrenia. Hearing problem increases hallucination in a schizophrenic patient.
According to Bhattacharya, a survey conducted by the World Health Organisation revealed that schizophrenia was inherited down the family line in 15- and 25-year intervals. "Some biochemical changes in the brain, coupled with environmental stress, trigger schizophrenia," Bhattacharya said.
Depression is another common form of mental illness. "In depression, a victim is encumbered with pessimistic thoughts," Dr. Sheila
Banerjee, a clinical psychologist of DANA said.
Of all cases of depression, 14 to 28 per cent are passed down the family line. "Identical twins who share the same genetic material are more prone to depression than fraternal twins," Banerjee pointed out.
Deficiency of a particular type of neuotransmitter (chemicals exchanged by nerve cells) leads to depression, Banerjee explained and added that other psychological problems, like imbalance of sex hormones - oestrogen and progesterone - might also be responsible for depression.
Dr. Gautam Banerjee, psychiatrist at R. G. Kar Medical College, pointed out that alcoholism was one of the causes of depression. Addiction to alcohol was accepted as a disease by the American Psychiatric Association in 1959, he said. According to
Banerjee, excessive intake of alcohol not only caused cirrhosis of liver but also frequent memory loss. Initial addiction is followed by a middle phase, which finally turns into chronic addiction. An alcoholic ultimately develops hepatitis, acute gastritis, enlarged heart and high blood pressure. Banerjee claimed that out of 100 drinkers, 15 always opted for suicide.
Bandana Banerjee, a psychologist from the Institute of Social Health, focused on mental retardation. She said a mentally retarded child developed intelligence at a snail's pace and a 10-year-old boy sometimes behaved like a five-year-old child. She explained that an infectious disease during the pregnancy of the mother might cause mental retardation of the child. An undernourished and alcoholic pregnant woman was also under risk of giving birth to a mentally retarded child. "A late pregnancy puts the child at the risk of getting Down's syndrome," Banerjee said.
Alzheimer's disease generally affects a person beyond the age of 60. "Twisted nerve fibres known as 'tangles' and small lesions in the neurons dubbed as 'plaques' are the telltale signs of Alzheimer's disease. It slowly cripples the brain on a global scale," Dr. Sayandip
Ghosh, psychologist from DANA, said. Children with Down's syndrome often develop Alzheimer's disease at 40, he added.
Mentally ill persons are deprived of important brain functions. "Their rehabilitation and employment can help our society a lot," Dr. Ranjit
Majumder, psychologist from the University of West Virginia, said, summing up the symposium.
|
|
