The Department of Social Work, Pondicherry University, in collaboration with the National Mental Health Programme, Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Post Graduate Institute (IGGH & PGI), Puducherry, successfully organized “Together for Tomorrow: A Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Awareness Event” as part of its Field Work Agency- Institution Interface to mark World Mental Health Day.

A total of 164 participants attended the programme, including MSW students, research scholars, faculty members from Pondicherry University, and resource persons from IGGH & PGI and students and faculties of Christ College, Thrissur, who visited the Department of Social Work, Pondicherry University.

The Programme commenced with the Welcome Address by Prof. P.B. Shankar Narayan, Head, Department of Social Work, who formally welcomed and thanked the dignitaries and the participants and thanked the Programme coordinator and the Interns at IGGH and PGI for the programme. The Opening Remarks were delivered by the Field Work Interns, IGGH & PGI, Puducherry (MSW II Year, Dept. of Social Work, Pondicherry University), He highlighted Suicide as a global phenomenon and stressed the urgent need for collective attention and intervention, setting the tone for the deliberations. All the dignitaries were honoured by the Dept of Social Work, Pondicherry University.

The Special Address was delivered by Dr. Balan Ponmani Stephan, HOD & Nodal Officer, Dept. of Psychiatry, IGGH & PGI, Puducherry, along with Dr. Aravindan from the Department of Psychiatry, IGGH, Puducherry. They emphasized on the importance of interventions in promoting mental health and emphasized addressing the urgent issue of Suicide, underlining preventive measures and the need for timely support systems. They thanked the Dept of Social Work for the collaboration.

The Inaugural Address was presented by Prof. G. Chandhrika, Dean, School of Social Sciences and International Studies, Pondicherry University, wherein she highlighted the importance of understanding the underlying causes of Suicide and the need for awareness at multiple levels and shared her experiences and appreciated the Dept of Social Work. The inaugural proceedings concluded with the Vote of  Thanks by Prof. A. Shahin Sultana, Field Work Faculty Supervisor and Programme Coordinator, Dept. of Social Work, Pondicherry University, who immensely thanked the dignitaries, Dr. Balan Ponmani Stephan and Dr Aravind, Mr Raja, and faculty members, students from Pondicherry University, Faculties and Students from Christ College and Interns at IGGH & PGI.

 

The programme also featured a Skit Performance by the Second Year MSW Students, which depicted a fictional counselling centre working with individuals struggling with suicidal thoughts. The skit sensitively highlighted the role of counselling, empathy, and timely intervention in suicide prevention.

The first Session was led by Dr. Balan Ponmani Stephan who highlighted that each individual and each problem is unique. He shared his professional experiences, emphasizing the importance of listening and initiating meaningful conversations, viewing clients through a biopsychosocial lens to understand symptoms and behavioural changes, the counsellor’s role in adopting empathetic perspectives and tailoring interventions according to individual needs.

The Second Session led by Dr. Aravindan, presented suicide from an epidemiological perspective. He shared statistical data on suicide rates, national comparisons, and explored risk and protective factors. He discussed motives behind suicide, its association with psychiatric disorders, methods used, and the influence of media in portraying suicide. Importantly, he highlighted warning signs, impulsive attempts, and strategies for acute psychiatric emergency interviews, counselling, guidance, and treatment modalities and finally concluded with the common misconceptions regarding suicide.

The session concluded with open question and answer session, addressing doubts from audience. The program concluded with the interactive session facilitated by the Research Scholars of the Department of Social Work, Pondicherry University.

The Department of Social Work, Pondicherry University, along with IGGH & PGI, Puducherry, expressed gratitude to the distinguished psychiatrists, dignitaries, faculty members, participants, and volunteers whose contributions ensured the success of the programme. This initiative reaffirmed the department’s continued commitment to mental health awareness, collaborative Partnerships in observance of World Mental Health Day. This programme is financially supported by National Mental Health Programme, IGGH & PGI, Puducherry. The Program Coordinator, Prof A. Shahin Sultana thanked the University authorities, Dean, the Dept of Social Work, the Dignitaries from IGGH and PI and the interns placed at IGGH and PGI for spearheading this timely initiative.

****

SS/PKV/SG

(Release ID: 2172412) Visitor Counter : 5