Clinical psychiatry focuses on treating patients at clinics and hospitals, but greater social participation is needed to address broader psychiatric issues in society. Issues like vagabond psychiatric patients wandering without care, malnourishment of expecting mothers and children leading to psychiatric illnesses, lack of awareness about proper parenting techniques, inadequate counseling services, and issues faced by migrants and refugees if not addressed can increase psychiatric problems. Prevention through community programs, social support, and addressing issues like drug abuse, parenting, and caring for the vulnerable should be a public health priority requiring collaboration between government, NGOs, and medical professionals.

1. CLINICAL PSYCHIATRY IS LIKE
SEEING THE TIP OF ICEBERG
AND MISSING THE BODY
Devashish Konar MD Consultant Psychiatrist
Mental Health Care Centre West Bengal

2. NEED FOR GREATER
PARTICIPATION
Psychiatry is growing at a good pace. At present it is mainly clinic based or at
the most hospital based. Clinical Psychiatry is just a small slice of total
psychiatric services that is really needed. There are other issues where only
greater participation can make some dent.

3. VAGABOND LUNATICS STILL ON ROAD
Treatment of vagabond psychiatric patients who are seen still wardening must
be planned. India is not such a poor country now where you expect to see
these psychiatric patients wandering, who are after all not in a big number. It
is just a matter of slight social will power which can suffice in taking care of
these unfortunate human beings.

4. MALNOURISHMENT: THE
GREATEST OFFENDER
The other is malnourishment of expecting mothers and children which is
cause of a substantial portion of total psychiatric patients. This again can not
be tackled at clinic level. Society has to have community based programs to
control this. Again is India really so poor a country which can not feed its
children? Matter is again of social will-power.

5. AWARENESS ABOUT PARENTING
Then there is no awareness about proper parenting. Parenting is the most
important task of ones life which is hardly ever discussed and is done mostly
by instinct whether rightly or wrongly. Parenting will always be instinctive
because it is a biological drive but even biological drives need to be controlled
with training. Bad parenting may be cause of lot of sufferings to children.
This again is a public health issue.

6. PREVENTIVE COUNSELING
Apart from clinical psychiatry you need to have good counseling centers
which can tackle marital disharmony, family conflicts, children with academic
and other behavioral difficulties and people who are not able to manage their
stress. This too can prevent lot of psychiatric illnesses.

7. MIGRATION ISSUES
Supporting people who come as refugees during different social turmoil or
even taking care of migrants for different reasons like jobs and education will
decrease lot of psychological miseries and go a long way in preventing
psychiatric illnesses.

8. DRUG ABUSE: A MAJOR CULPRIT
Drug abuse is a huge issue where social involvement can really prevent the
adolescents from getting into the trap of psychiatric illnesses.

9. NEED FOR SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT
Let clinical psychiatry flourish and actually it needs to. Till date, in our
country, clinical psychiatric services are less than bare minimum. But other
issues which need social handling can not be downplayed.

10. STEPS TOWARDS BEING CIVILISED
After all there are two primary issues for a developed and sane society. One
that it should be able to look after those who are left behind due to disease or
disability and the other is that it should take steps to prevent disease and
disabilities.

11. LET US ALL DO IT TOGETHER
So let the government and NGOS’ come together and find out ways and
means to tackle the issue of prevention in psychiatry. I think professionals will
be more than happy to extend their support in planning and execution of this
noble job. They know about the problems but do not have the infrastructures
to make any headway and they are in search of people who are ready to take
up the cause.

12. LOOK INTO YOUR SOUL AND COME FORWARD
So let the society come forward and make a roadmap so that we don’t see
psychiatric patients on road, feed our hungry would- be- mothers and children
and give children a happy future to look up to with better parenting and give
support to the distressed. If we do this real important job then only we will
have right to boast of India emerging as a developed country leave alone
superpower, elephant power and other ornamental words. Till children are
underfed and ill people are on road without care, we should hang our head in
shame. For self esteem, high talks may be important but lack of insight is akin
to insanity.