Summary:
By Express News ServiceCHENNAI: Mental health must be viewed through social, environmental and cultural lenses rather than an exclusively biomedical angle, said Mental Health Policy expert, professor Vandana Gopikumar. Speaking during the 25th Mary Clubwala Jadhav Endowment Lectures at Madras School of Social Work on Saturday, Gopikumar, co-founder of the Banyan an Mental health NGO, said the mean age of onset of mental health issues is in early teens and that the age group 15-29 has the highest suicide rates in India. She spoke about the lives of individuals whose mental illness stemmed from social deprivation and distress and also outlined the history of mental health treatment around the world. At the event, Anbalayam, an organisation working for the care and psychiatric rehabilitation of homeless persons with mental illnesses was honoured with the MCJ Award for Humanitarian Service 2019 and a cash prize of Rs. TKS Senthil Kumar, the founder of Anbalayam received the award on behalf of the organisation..