Sikkim police start public awareness campaign to combat stress

Gangtok, May 28 (UNI) Sikkim police have started a public awareness campaign to sensitise their personnel about the menace of mental illness prevalent in the state.

Official sources giving a data said that one suicide case is reported every 48 hours in Sikkim and there is lack of awareness about the mental illness.

Last year, around 150 suicidal deaths were reported according to the official records while many more suicide cases left unreported, they said. Removing the social stigma attached to mental illness was another area of work for the cops, they added.

The awareness drive started from Jorethang in South Sikkim on April 12 where police, psychiatrist Dr C L Pardhan, panchayat members and the local people including students took part in the discussion about mental illness.

Dr Pardhan expressed concern about the rising suicide rates due to mental illness and discussed the methods to deal with it.

Similar programmes were also organized at Geyzing in West Sikkim by the West District Police on April 28.

Sikkim police, in association with the health department, have already distributed booklets about mental health and its various issues to all the outposts and police stations in East and North districts.

The third installment of the mission was held for the personnel of Sikkim Armed Police (SAP) at its headquarters in Panthang, East Sikkim yesterday under the initiative of SAP Commandant G K Verma.

Dr Pardhan gave an elaborate presentation on the ill effects of mental illness and drug abuse to the SAP jawans and the local residents.

''Suicide rates have increased alarmingly over the years and 95 per cent of it has been attributed to depression and mental illness,'' he said. ''We will give professional help at hospitals or health centres'', he said.

Highlighting the lack of awareness about mental illness, drug abuse and the social stigma attached to it, Dr Pardhan urged the policemen to educate the civic society about it and provide means for treatment for them.

''If we do not take preventive measures right now, Sikkim will easily have the highest rate of suicide cases in the country in the next 10 years,'' he predicted.

UNI XC JYN SRS PC1716