Bengaluru: Both private and government hospitals seem to be taking the World Health Day theme of depression seriously. Take Apollo Hospitals, which is partnering with The Live Love Laugh Foundation to raise awareness about mental health by assisting its “Together Against Depression” programme designed for doctors.
Explaining the initiative , Dr K Hari Prasad, president, Apollo Hospitals, says the idea is to ensure that doctors, who are the first line of defence, are prepared to detect depression in their patients. The move has been prompted by the World Health Day’s focus on depression this year, he admits.
The health ministry, for its part, claims to be already working on these lines as the state has trained medical officers of the Primary Health Centers for detecting and treating depression. The psychiatrists appointed under the District Mental Health Programme treat the mentally ill at all taluka hospitals and people can also get counselling by calling the department’s toll-free number, 104. Meanwhile, an online counselling and emotional wellness platform, YourDost.com, based in Bengaluru recently concluded a counselling session in the city for 500 Indian army men.
