General Hospital to have parenting clinic

A parenting clinic is all set to start functioning at General Hospital, Ernakulam, from Saturdays. The initiative titled ‘Koottu’ will be launched as part of the observance of World Mental Health Day on Friday. Any parent who is interested in improving their parenting skills or who is facing issues with the child or family can seek guidance at the clinic. 

“This is a guidance clinic and not exactly a treatment clinic. Parents can ask their queries, assess the behavioural issues of children, etc. It has been envisioned as a mental health support system for parents,” said Dr. Daya Pascal, consultant psychiatrist and Nodal Officer, District Mental Health Programme, Ernakulam.

​It is being implemented as a joint initiative of the Psychiatry department of the General Hospital and Ernakulam District Mental Health Programme. A psychiatrist, school mental health counsellors and clinical psychologist of the district mental health programme will be part of the clinic.

 “We have understood that the community is not aware of the mental health issues of children. People think that mental health issues only affect adults. This is wrong. We need to raise awareness as well as increase the detection of these behavioural issues. Our aim is to spread more awareness on building positive life skills for kids so that they can be protected from mental health hazards like internet addiction, drug use and violence,” said Dr. Daya. 

According to her, family intervention is required when it comes to addressing the mental health issues of children. There is a rise in behavioural issues in children post-COVID, she says. “People often notice only scholastic backwardness. They tend to overlook other issues such as internet overuse or mood swings. These often go unnoticed or unrecognised. When we assess the learning disability in children, we often observe several behavioural issues. Unlike child guidance clinics where the focus is on addressing mental health issues of children and treating the kid, here we consider the family as a unit and address the issues,” she says.