See above some brief sound excerpts (~7 minutes) from a panel discussion organised at Gov. Medical college, Kottayam (MCK) as part of World Mental Health Day 2014. (audio was captured by me using mobilephone microphone:-)

The panelists were as below. Dr Lakshmi Gupthan (MCK) was the moderator.

1. Adv. G Jayashankar, Kottayam District Legal Service Cell (focused on mental health act, Reception order, Rehabilitation services)

2. Fr. Micheal Joseph, Kottayam Social Service Society. (focused on team based and participatory approach, community based rehabilitation through home based care)

3. Dr. V K Usha, Prof. Psychiatric Nursing Dept. (focused on family based interventions, emphasized need for including family members into the multidisciplinary care team)

4. Dr. Ipe Varghese, HOD Social work Dept, BCM College Kottayam. (focused on the need for advocacy for building social security nets in this era of diminishing carers in families and generating evidence for local interventions)

Photo courtesy: Dr Rajeev K M (MCK),  From L to R Dr Usha, Dr Ipe, Fr Micheal, Adv. Jayashankar, Dr Varghese Punnose, Dr Laksmni.

My presentation at SIPSCON 2014 (Indian Psychiatry Society(IPS), Kerala State  Branch, Annual conference) focused on the emerging idea of integrating mental health care through community nurses in the palliative care program. A model for integrating home-based care for late-stage dementia was presented.  See slides below. Also see newspaper reports on same: The Hindu Report; MalayalaManorama Report. [Incidentally it is two years since this blog was stated in October 2012. It is matter of great happiness that the blog got a mention in the address of the IPS State President at the annual meeting at Kochi. See text of the presidential address here. [added on 22.01.2015, the same published as article in Kerala Journal of Pstchiatry see here ]