Deepika....well...

'Dr does Deepika also take these medications ' 'yes I suppose so' ' does she also have depression? ' 'umm I think yes' ' does she have side effects'.....at this point I had to confess that I didn't know because that was not covered in the interview I read.

Deepika Padukone is a brave young person to have spoken about mental health and illness as a personal experience. 

Among non mental health professionals it's  a myth that we routinely gossip about patients. But I never heard anything about Deepika other than what she herself had published. A matter of credit to her drs and therapists...whoever they are.

 Fact is: like many people she went through a mental health challenge and she took the proper path to resolve it. Minute particulars are not so important as the message: common challenge meets reasonable response results in desirable outcome.

Happy days

Why do students love NIMHANS so much? The people particularly the faculty teachers have a lot to do with it.

On the first day, my husband and I met Dr MKI our head of the Department and I was asked to meet Dr Pratima Murthy for further joining formalities. For some reason she was not available that day and husband and I spent the whole afternoon estimating what Pratima Murthy would be like.

I was short of wringing my hands upon having a woman teacher as my point of first contact. My experience was that medical teachers are frustrated hags or insecure around younger girls. Some were so housewifey that you would constantly expect them to just reach out and switch off the gas stove. Others only made their way by fluttering eyelids and cooking for the unit. All of them made sure to preserve patriarchy and make it harder for younger women colleagues saying ' even we went through it all. '

On Monday night after meeting Madam I was on the phone Pronto....Dr Pratima Murthy was nothing like that.

She was absolutely the teacher of my dreams...after a long time I met such a teacher.

Family, fashion, studies, relationships, hobbies, looks ...Mam was on top of everything. I am so delighted and not a bit surprised by her becoming the Director of NIMHANS. She is a person who has inspired many like me. 

It brings back memories of the happy days. 

THE SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD

 

The transition from person to parent is among the most beautiful milestones. For some folks it is surrounded by pregnancy and birth complications and the outcome is a child with special needs. The special needs of this child are in the realms of medical, therapeutic, emotional, educational and vocational. Special needs children have diagnoses of ‘high risk births’, neurological disorders, cerebral palsy, autism, sensory disorders, muscle and bone disorders, mental retardation and metabolic conditions. The first few years are spent only getting the diagnosis, prognosis and treatments streamlined. While every kind of professional expert is now available in India, the process is never easy. First- no matter what the condition parents spend years looking for a cure. The professional who is honest enough to declare the condition incurable (but treatable) is promptly dropped and parents usually hunt far and wide for anybody who is non- committal about the prognosis (let’s see what happens, we can try, start this and see) or straightway promises the moon (of course, I will cure him/ her, nothing is wrong with him/ her).

Its important that parents accept the diagnosis and get to work on helping their child as soon as possible. Parents should do a thorough search and find a professional who is known to be an expert in the field. Find two- no problem. Preferably they must be from institutions of repute. Pay attention to the process of assessment- it should be thorough, unhurried and by a team of experts in particular domains. This may take some resources of time and money- but believe me- its completely worth. Once the expert/s have given you their opinion, tell them to give a clear plan for the coming years and suggest professionals nearer to your area to implement these plans. Collect all reports, prescriptions and file them properly. Upon coming back home- coordinate with a pediatrician who has time and inclination to be a ‘çase manager’ to support you and monitor outcomes. And put your head down and get to work. Connect with other parents with similar difficulties and be alert to new trends in management- take time to discuss with your pediatrician about it. Every few years you can approach the institutional expert for a review.

Bringing up a child with special needs is definitely challenging. But a lot of the challenges are similar to bringing up someone without these needs- like it’s a 24/7 job with no holidays. It has good days and bad. You have to worry about the health, safety, happiness and long term stability of your child. The major difference is that the world is not adapted to provide the special needs- so you are going to spend lot of time doing research, being an advocate of your child, spending money, worrying if you are doing right. There are all kinds of facilities- but parents you are literally left HOLDING THE BABY and the BUCK STOPS AT YOU. Your effort makes all the difference.

So while you are at it- also remember that you need to remain alive, healthy and in a mindset to be able to complete your responsibilities ably. Pay attention to your health, maintain fitness and learn stress management.