Bhubaneswar: To address mental health issues of prisoners in the state, the staff posted in jails of Odisha have undergone specialised training on early screening of symptoms and immediate intervention.
The Odisha Digital Academy for Mental Health (ODAMH) under the mental health institute of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, designed the six-month online course that was launched on March 23.
According to Seema Parija, an assistant professor in psychiatry and in-charge officer of ODAMH, the training session has enabled the participants to take up screening of inmates suffering from mental illness. Parija said early detection of symptoms related to mental illness and strategic interventions can help inmates overcome the problem.
“Our course laid stress on screening of various signs and symptoms of mental illness like psychosis (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder), anxiety, somatoform disorders, depression, substance use, suicide and the requisite management (pharmacological and psychosocial) in the prison setting,” said ODAMH’s course coordinator Sushree Sangita Behura.
The Odisha Digital Academy for Mental Health (ODAMH) under the mental health institute of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, designed the six-month online course that was launched on March 23.
According to Seema Parija, an assistant professor in psychiatry and in-charge officer of ODAMH, the training session has enabled the participants to take up screening of inmates suffering from mental illness. Parija said early detection of symptoms related to mental illness and strategic interventions can help inmates overcome the problem.
“Our course laid stress on screening of various signs and symptoms of mental illness like psychosis (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder), anxiety, somatoform disorders, depression, substance use, suicide and the requisite management (pharmacological and psychosocial) in the prison setting,” said ODAMH’s course coordinator Sushree Sangita Behura.
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