From the desk of Editor

Volume 2 Issue 6, June, 2012

Guest Editorial: One year of the MIND…….

At one year, baby steps are replacing supported cruising in a good number and the young ones can and do show intent….. They are becoming aware of things to look at and learn from! As it completes its first year, this being 12th issue, the four page newsletter, MIND has done this and more. Launched from the premises of an Institution, it has gathered autonomy along the way. Guidance and logistics support are still needed, but it has made its intentions clear. It targets a sparsely occupied space – straddling Consultation Liaison Psychiatry / Medicine / training UGs and PGs in other specialties. My heartfelt Congratulations to editorial team of Dr. Kishor and Dr. Vinay for all their successes! A word of appreciation to the principal & faculty of Adichunchunagiri Institute for Medical Sciences is in order too. And to Kiran, Chaitra & Aashish Nayak for their active involvement & efforts to improve learning through crosswords and quiz! Last but not least to the entire faculty in medical colleges who supported this venture.

When I put all the issues of the newsletter together, I was amazed at the range of topics covered: Importance of psychiatry / medicine interface and related achievements, written by two senior stalwart teachers, stress and suicide amongst students and professionals, ethics in medicine, ECT and substance use an intelligently put together list that builds on potentially common areas of focus / curiosity. There are matters of interest to pediatricians, adolescence specialists and geriatricians too! Physicians (hypothyroidism), Pediatricians (pseudoseizures) Obstetricians (post-partal depression) Neurologists (neuropsychiatric examination) and surgeons too (orthopedics /fibromyalgia – ENT/ headache) all come into the net as the editors peg away. And it was so ‘itchy’ that the team members covered the dermatology / psychiatry interface themselves! The editors have gotten anatomists (schizophrenia brain), physiologists (cortisol and stress) and biochemists (GGT) involved along with the pathologist (ALD). This reflects a mature understanding of the task they have set for themselves. Impressed with their work, a great teacher shares his reflections as he goes ‘Down the Memory Lane’!

The editorials are at times novel, viz., raising issues of breach of trust when health care is delegated and at times topical, as with health insurance. Discussing aspects related to training of medical students in such a way that a focus on mental health emerges, is a welcome method. The successful effort to rope in views of a former President of India indexes enviable networking skills! The section called REFRAME – wherein the editors have motivated students, interns and residents to clarify myths and realities with regard to a whole list of topics (Psychotropics – general and specific, and myths regarding Schizophrenia, ECT, OCD, Anorexia and Suicide and even the MHA!) is an example of smart pedagogy. The tidbits to keep the students interested, including an answer to a recent MBBS examination question, bespeaks of the team’s creativity. The layout and the fidelity to content organization are laudable, though some lighter shades of color may be more pleasing….!

It is gratifying to note the recent build up of young enthusiastic psychiatrists in several medical colleges of the state. This newsletter is an excellent example of what this new brigade of psychiatrists can offer. From their new environs, the originators of MIND can build on their success in many ways. They need to remain committed to their primary goal – liaison between psychiatry and the wider medical fraternity. They can reach out to medical colleges at zonal level and then go country wide. They can involve clinical psychologists, social workers, nurses and general practitioners. They can annotate mental health research findings for the benefit of health professionals….As they are now publishing in a private capacity, they will need to assume responsibility for facts / contents, disclaimers notwithstanding…I am confident that the team can measure up to the challenges!

Here’s wishing a great journey ahead for this promising young team!