Social Sanchar with Dr. Alka Subramanyam, Associate Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry, TNMC & BYL Nair Ch. Hospital, Mumbai

When
September 24,2021 @ 6.30pm - 7.30pm

“YOUNG MINDS IN TROUBLED TIMES”

Dealing with the rising mental issues among the youth has never been as critical as it is today.

Now after a year and a half of lockdowns, restrictions, constant news updates and COVID uncertainly, all of us are still experiencing enormous mental stress and fatigue. It is no surprise that the youngest among us have been hit the hardest.
Young adults are having to cope with an increasing set of challenges that often go unaddressed by their parents, teachers and loved ones.

On 24th September2021, as part of their centenary year initiatives, Nair Hospital Mumbai, partnered with V Citizens Action Network to conduct a crucial Social Sanchar on ‘Young MINDS in Troubled Times’, with Dr Alka Subramanyam, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, TNMC & BYL Nair Ch. Hospital, Mumbai, and a leading expert in the category of Psychiatrist Doctors for Children, to help understand and cope with mental health problems, issues of child sexual abuse and to comprehend the provisions of the child friendly POCSO Act 2012.

The fully digital Social Sanchar was broadcast live on YouTube, and Facebook. Viewers joined from across the city and the globe.

Smt. Indrani Malkani, Chairman & Managing Trustee of VCAN, started the session by greeting all viewers and warmly welcoming Guest Speaker Dr. Alka Subramanyam.

Smt. Malkani spoke briefly about VCAN, its overarching objective of establishing linkages and interactions between Citizens and several Government Authorities, by working in partnership. She touched upon VCAN’s focus areas of work, the interactive Web Portal and the live interactive talk show titled TogetherVCAN’s Social Sanchars with Senior Government Officials as Guest Speakers, and about the new series ‘Health and Wellbeing’ with leading Doctors and Healthcare Professionals as Speakers.

Smt. Malkani also shared the format of the session with the viewers.

Then, Smt. Malkani conveyed her appreciative thanks to VCAN’s Implementing Partner Citizens Association for Child Rights (CACR), who has come forward to also be the Support Partner for this Social Sanchar.

She expressly thanked the Student Council, the NSS Students and all the Students of VCAN’s College Partner Jai Hind College and all the other *Colleges who have associated with VCAN.

To see the list of *colleges, Click here

She conveyed her thanks to Team Teknowlegion for powering the fully digital Social Sanchars and for keeping VCAN’s Web Portal going, VCAN’s social media consultant Shri. Sumit Lulla, all viewers, colleagues and networking partners and friends in the media.

Smt. Malkani thereafter, introduced the guest speaker Dr Alka Subramanyam.

To read the profile of Dr. Alka Subramanyam Click here

Dr. Subramanyam in her opening remarks shared a very short introduction about Nair Hospital which she mentioned is the first purely Indian run Hospital to have reached the target of a centenary and is a part of Nationalistic history of India.

With great clarity she gave the context of how the pandemic has been has been a very unnatural situation for everyone and it has hit us so hard and happened so suddenly, that even the medical fraternity did not know what happened and what to do as no one in this generation has lived a pandemic. So, it took a while to learn about the virus, the ramifications of the pandemic and reach a particular understanding and proceed.

Dr. Subramanyam explained the consequences and the effect of forced confinement and restricted social interactions, on us as human beings who are naturally social animals.

In this very unnatural situation, what was taken for granted and pushed under the carpet was the state of mind and children and adolescents were affected greatly.

Some key issues discussed and explained by Dr. Subramanyam included:

How to read the signs of distress in our young, including suicidal tendencies

Issues related to transitioning to the digital world necessitated due to forced confinement to our homes

Issues related to Autism and Dyslexia, and the help available from ‘Maharashtra Dyslexia Association’ and ‘Child Welfare Committee’

Issues related to child sexual abuse and the POCSO Act 2012.

Some takeaways included the knowledge that one can report child sexual abuse anonymously by using the special Childline – ‘1098’, and that Special Juvenile Police Units are in place to ensure children are not traumatised during the reporting and investigation process.

List of Municipal and Government Hospitals in Mumbai where facilities related to Mental Health, are available; Nair Hospital, KEM Hospital, Sion Hospital, Cooper Hospital and JJ Hospital

To view the handbook on the implementation of the POCSO Act 2012 for School Management and Staff Click here

Considering the spectrum of critical issues which were discussed, it would best be heard directly from Dr. Alka Subramanyam herself by viewing her Session Click here

Dr. Subramanyam’s opening remarks and Q&A starts at 12:47 minutes Click here

The interactive session with Dr. Subramanyam was outstanding, with her practical and easy style of explaining the various issues related to the topic, that it made it so easy to relate to and comprehend and kept all viewers captivated.

At the end of the session, Smt. Malkani, on behalf of the Trustees of VCAN presented an online memento of appreciation to Dr Subramanyam and warmly thanked her.

Thereafter, Smt. Malkani thanked all the viewers for joining the session and ended the digital Social Sanchar.

To view the video of the session, Click here   

To view the press coverage by the Mid-Day Mumbai on 01 October Click here

All our articles are periodically updated.