“With no mental health policy in place, vulnerable sections like children, women and the elderly need to be given importance in the upcoming National Mental Health Policy,” said Indira Sharma, who took charge as president of Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) on Thursday.
She was speaking at the 65th Annual National Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society (ANCIPS) on the theme ‘Psychosocial adversity and mental health’ that kicked off here on Thursday. The conference was organised against the backdrop of surge in cases of sexual and physical violence on women in the country.
Sharma said a preliminary set of suggestions regarding the amendment to anti-rape laws has already been submitted to the government.
During her term as the president of the IPS, emphasis will be laid on preventing sexual crimes against women. “We will also look into the legal aspects of women’s mental health and address issues of violence against women with mental illness,” she added.
Addressing the conference, Norman Sartorius, former director of Mental Health, WHO, said health was being commodified by organisations such as the World Bank.
“Healthcare is being looked at in terms of economic parameters. It is not something that can be bought and sold depending on who can afford it,” he said.
He also brought out emerging developments in the field of social psychiatry in India.