Guest Column: Down The Memory Lane..

Volume 4 Issue 9 Sept 2014

Dare to include and not stigmatize!

Seeta was asked to leave her B.Sc. nursing studies by the principal of nursing college as she had attempted ending her life. She was informed that according to some rules, if a student nurse attempts suicide during the course, she is not allowed to continue her studies. Obviously, she and her parent were very upset and sought help from our psychiatry department.

Dr Meeta, a first year psychiatry resident who had recently joined the department was very much dismayed and perturbed by this injustice rendered to this young aspiring nursing student. She failed to understand and accept this archaic rule and decided to raise her voice against it. She was disturbed to see a very passive attitude adopted by the seniors and other staff members in this matter. Proactively she decided to wage a war against this matter single handedly, all by herself.

She met the principal of the nursing college and explained that any person may develop a psychiatric disorder. None of us are immune to psychiatric disorders. Attempting suicide may be a symptom of an underlying psychiatric disorder. It is necessary to empathise and support people who during some weak moments in their life may try to end their life; it is a cry for help and therefore instead of reprimanding or punishing them, they should be encouraged to take treatment and helped to regain their confidence and resume their studies.

When the principal expressed her inability to change the rule and quoted a couple of similar precedents, she decided to take the matter to the Dean of the hospital. Madam Dean could see the point in her assertion and at her behest agreed to appoint a committee of three senior professors to look into the matter and recommend some guidelines for dealing with such situations.

With a strong conviction and stark determination she presented her case and compelled the committee members to recommend the reinstitution of the nursing student in the course. No wonder the parents of the nursing student couldn’t resist giving her a big hug and ample heartfelt blessing with tears rolling down their face.