By Express News Service CHENNAI: 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. 1 lakh. TKS Senthil Kumar, the founder of Anbalayam received the award on behalf of the organisation. Senthil Kumar described how even during his student days in St. Joseph’s College, Trichy, he would befriend, feed and listen to the stories of homeless persons with mental illnesses while the rest of the society shunned them. Through Anbalayam, he said he has worked to reunite with their families several wandering and destitute individuals with mental illnesses and started a shelter for bedridden elderly persons with Parkinson’s disease, dementia, paralysis and neurological disorders. Anbalayam also runs HOPES and MATRAM. ‘Incidence of stroke high among youth’ Chennai: The 40th TS Srinivasan Endowment Oration titled “Preventing Stroke and Maintaining Brain Health” held here on Sunday revealed there is an increasing rise in the incidence of stroke in younger people. , Ralph L Sacco, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical & Translational Science, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, ‘’Stroke is still a major cause of concern especially in low and middle-income countries where the frequency of stroke is on the rise,’’ he said.

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