N World Mental Health Day 2013 theme is "Mental health and older adults"
Mental, behavioral and neurological disorders are common in all countries around the world, causing immense agony and staggering economic and social costs. People with any disorder are mostly subjected to an isolated social life, poor life quality and higher death rates.
Mental Health – Global Priority
Mental health is increasingly endorsed as a significant aspect in terms of the overall well-being of the individual. In 1999 World Mental Health Day, which falls on October 10, had been dedicated to “Mental Health in Primary Care: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental Health”. Mental health issues are a global priority and it is imperative to address issues pertaining to it at the earliest and in an effective and efficacious manner.
Integration of Mental Health into the Primary Care Setting
This day encourages more transparent discussion of illnesses, and investments in prevention and treatment services. WHO’s calculations for 2002 states that 154 million people across the world suffer from depression.
The World Health Organization has identified following 7 reasons for including mental health into the primitive care structure:
The burden of mental disorders is immense. They create a substantial personal burden for affected persons and their families, and they create magnificent economic and social hardships that affect the society entirely.
The treatment gap for mental disorders is huge. There is a substantial gap between the prevalence of mental disorders and the quantity of people undergoing treatment.
Mental and physical health issues are interlinked. Integrated primary care services affirm that people are provided with the fair treatment.
When mental health is clubbed with primary care, people can get mental health services close to vicinity. It also enhances mental health promotion and community outreach.
Primitive care for mental health attention is less expensive for patients, communities and governments alike.
Primary care for mental health dignifies respect of human rights.
Primary care for mental health asserts good health outcomes specifically when collaborate with anetwork of services at secondary stage and in the community.
Inclusion of mental health within the primitive care system can yield more fruitful results in following manners:
Diagnosing for mental disorders results in improved patient outcomes only when appropriate care detection is followed.
Increasing referrals to behavioral health provider specialist with added supports may lead to enhance follow-through and outcomes.
Imparting Physician education.
Care needs to be streamlined and based at evidence-based approaches.
Meanwhile it is imperative to ensure that there are clearly defined principles and steps regarding the line of treatment that should be offered to the general practitioners and primary care workers. Following the initial treatment by primary workers further referrals for complex mental health issues can be sent to psychiatrists and psychologists with specialization.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Saturday, October 5, 2013

City » Trichy
Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in need of better cancer treatment facilities
R Gokul, TNN | Oct 5, 2013, 05.12 AM IST

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Mahatma Gandhi|insurance|Cervical cancer|Cancer|breast cancer
TRICHY: At a time when cancer patients seeking treatment is on the rise, the premier hospital for Trichy and neighbouring district, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) is still not equipped with full-fledged oncology department. As of now, the hospital provides only the diagnosis of the disease, and for treatment the patients have to rely on other private hospitals by coughing up huge amount of money.
The number of patients coming to the hospital to get the cancer test done is on the rise. "Around 15 to 20 patients come here for cancer test, and out of them around 50% test positive for cancer. We are equipped to take FNCA test; CT scan and MRI scan for diagnosis of cancer. We find breast cancer, cervical cancer and blood cancer in the diagnosis.
For the treatment, we refer the patients diagnosed with cancer to other government hospital," said Dr Ravi, diagnostic cancer specialist at MGMGH. Commenting on the issue, Dr R Vallinayagam, dean of MGMGH admitted that if the facility comes up in the hospital it would be very helpful for the cancer patients. He said, "It is true many cancer patients have to be referred to other government hospitals. If the facility is available here, it would be really helpful to the patients."
In fact, many patients don't come to MGMGH as they are aware that the hospital does not have an oncology department. So, they are forced to opt for some private hospitals in the city or the government medical college hospitals in Thanjavur, Madurai and Kancheepuram for treatment.
Dr MA Aleem, vice-principal of the medical college hospital told TOI, "We are can provide basic treatment to cancer patients, and the drugs can be provided to them with chief minister's insurance scheme. The process is on to get the surgical and medical oncology in the super specialty ward." Earlier, the situation of huge number of cancer patients returning without treatment from MGMGH had forced some doctors in the hospital to start new hospitals for the cancer patients.A source said that a doctor, who used to work at MGMGH, had started a private cancer hospital.
Likewise, a proposal to start a radiation oncology department is kept in abeyance, and even the National Cancer Society and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre had given its nod to start the centre in 2009 and 2012 respectively. The hospital administration is not aware about the reasons behind the delay.
A full-fledged oncology department is still a mirage for the MGMGH because of reasons best known to the administrators. Trichy district geographically located at the centre of the state have to be pioneer in many ways. Unfortunately, the lack of lobbying for the district has been obstructing its growth. On the other hand, the political interference cripples the development of the hospital many ways. The progress of the MGMGH was stalled by many years by the politicians who controlled the city because they were stakeholders in some major hospitals.
Now, the only hope for getting an oncology department lies in the under-construction six floor super specialty hospitals in the MGMGH premises


.
City » Trichy
Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in need of better cancer treatment facilities
R Gokul, TNN | Oct 5, 2013, 05.12 AM IST

.
Mahatma Gandhi|insurance|Cervical cancer|Cancer|breast cancer
TRICHY: At a time when cancer patients seeking treatment is on the rise, the premier hospital for Trichy and neighbouring district, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) is still not equipped with full-fledged oncology department. As of now, the hospital provides only the diagnosis of the disease, and for treatment the patients have to rely on other private hospitals by coughing up huge amount of money.
The number of patients coming to the hospital to get the cancer test done is on the rise. "Around 15 to 20 patients come here for cancer test, and out of them around 50% test positive for cancer. We are equipped to take FNCA test; CT scan and MRI scan for diagnosis of cancer. We find breast cancer, cervical cancer and blood cancer in the diagnosis.
For the treatment, we refer the patients diagnosed with cancer to other government hospital," said Dr Ravi, diagnostic cancer specialist at MGMGH. Commenting on the issue, Dr R Vallinayagam, dean of MGMGH admitted that if the facility comes up in the hospital it would be very helpful for the cancer patients. He said, "It is true many cancer patients have to be referred to other government hospitals. If the facility is available here, it would be really helpful to the patients."
In fact, many patients don't come to MGMGH as they are aware that the hospital does not have an oncology department. So, they are forced to opt for some private hospitals in the city or the government medical college hospitals in Thanjavur, Madurai and Kancheepuram for treatment.
Dr MA Aleem, vice-principal of the medical college hospital told TOI, "We are can provide basic treatment to cancer patients, and the drugs can be provided to them with chief minister's insurance scheme. The process is on to get the surgical and medical oncology in the super specialty ward." Earlier, the situation of huge number of cancer patients returning without treatment from MGMGH had forced some doctors in the hospital to start new hospitals for the cancer patients.A source said that a doctor, who used to work at MGMGH, had started a private cancer hospital.
Likewise, a proposal to start a radiation oncology department is kept in abeyance, and even the National Cancer Society and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre had given its nod to start the centre in 2009 and 2012 respectively. The hospital administration is not aware about the reasons behind the delay.
A full-fledged oncology department is still a mirage for the MGMGH because of reasons best known to the administrators. Trichy district geographically located at the centre of the state have to be pioneer in many ways. Unfortunately, the lack of lobbying for the district has been obstructing its growth. On the other hand, the political interference cripples the development of the hospital many ways. The progress of the MGMGH was stalled by many years by the politicians who controlled the city because they were stakeholders in some major hospitals.
Now, the only hope for getting an oncology department lies in the under-construction six floor super specialty hospitals in the MGMGH premises


.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
World Chocolate Day 2013 September 4th
Eating chocolates regularly report to feeling less stressed. it can boost your mood. Dark chocolates stimulate the production of endorphins chemicals in the brain that bring on feeling of pleasure. Recent Study finds that chocolate has antidepressant qualities.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Headache is Not A Headache
Headache disorders are among the most common disorders of the nervous system.
It has been estimated that 47% of the adult population have headache at least once within last year in general.
Headache disorders are associated with personal and societal burdens of pain, disability, damaged quality of life and financial cost.
A minority of people with headache disorders worldwide are diagnosed appropriately by a health-care provider.
Headache has been underestimated, under-recognized and under-treated throughout the world.
What are headache disorders?
Headache disorders are among the most common disorders of the nervous system. Headache is a painful and disabling feature of a small number of primary headache disorders namely migraine, tension-type headache, and cluster headache. Headache can also be caused by or occur secondarily to a long list of other conditions, for example medication overuse headache.
How common are headache disorders?
Globally, it has been estimated that prevalence among adults of current headache disorder (symptomatic at least once within the last year) is 47%. Half to three quarters of the adults aged 18–65 years in the world have had headache in the last year and among those individuals, more than 10% have reported migraine. Headache on 15 or more days every month affects 1.7–4% of the world’s adult population. Despite regional variations, headache disorders are a worldwide problem, affecting people of all ages, races, income levels and geographical areas.
What is the burden due to headache disorders?
Not only is headache painful, but also disabling. In the Global Burden of Disease Study, updated in 2004, migraine on its own was found to account for 1.3% of years lost due to disability (YLD).
Headache disorders impose a recognizable burden on sufferers including sometimes substantial personal suffering, impaired quality of life and financial cost. Repeated headache attacks, and often the constant fear of the next one, damage family life, social life and employment. The long-term effort of coping with a chronic headache disorder may also predispose the individual to other illnesses. For example, depression is three times more common in people with migraine or severe headaches than in healthy individuals.
Types of headache disorders
Migraine, tension-type headache and medication-overuse headache are of public health importance as they are responsible for high population levels of disability and ill-health.
Migraine
A primary headache disorder.
Most often begins at puberty and most affects those aged between 35 and 45 years.
It is caused by the activation of a mechanism deep in the brain that leads to release of pain-producing inflammatory substances around the nerves and blood vessels of the head.
Migraine is recurrent, often life-long, and characterized by attacks.
Attacks include features such as
headache of moderate or severe intensity;
nausea (the most characteristic);
one-sided and/or pulsating quality;
aggravated by routine physical activity;
with duration of hours to 2-3 days;
attack frequency is anywhere between once a year and once a week; and
in children, attacks tend to be of shorter duration and abdominal symptoms more prominent.
Tension-type headache (TTH)
TTH is the most common primary headache disorder.
Episodic TTH is reported by more than 70% of some populations; chronic TTH affects 1-3% of adults.
TTH often begins during the teenage years, affecting three women to every two men.
Its mechanism may be stress-related or associated with musculoskeletal problems in the neck.
Episodic TTH attacks usually last a few hours, but can persist for several days.
Chronic TTH can be unremitting and is much more disabling than episodic TTH.
This headache is described as pressure or tightness, like a band around the head, sometimes spreading into or from the neck.
Cluster Headache (CH)
A primary headache disorder.
CH is relatively uncommon affecting fewer than 1 in 1000 adults, affecting six men to each woman.
Most people developing CH are in their 20s or older.
It is characterized by frequent recurring, brief but extremely severe headache associated with pain around the eye with tearing and redness, the nose runs or is blocked on the affected side and the eyelid may droop.
CH has episodic and chronic forms.
Medication-overuse headache (MOH)
MOH is caused by chronic and excessive use of medication to treat headache.
MOH is the most common secondary headaches.
It may affect up to 5% of some populations, women more than men.
MOH is oppressive, persistent and often at its worst on awakening.
Social and economic burden of headache
Headache disorders are a public-health concern given the large amount of associated disability and financial costs to society. As headache disorders are most troublesome in the productive years (late teens to 50s), estimates of their financial cost to society – principally from lost working hours and reduced productivity – are massive. In the United Kingdom, for example, some 25 million working- or school-days are lost every year because of migraine alone; this financial cost is matched by TTH and chronic daily headache combined. Headache is high among causes of consulting medical practitioners as one-third of all neurological consultations were for headache, in one survey.
Yet, many of those troubled by headache do not receive effective care. For example, in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, only half of those identified with migraine had seen a doctor for headache-related reasons in the previous 12 months, and only two-thirds had been correctly diagnosed. Most were solely reliant on over-the-counter medications.
Treatment
Appropriate treatment of headache disorders requires professional training of health professionals, accurate diagnosis and recognition of the condition, appropriate treatment with cost-effective medications, simple lifestyle modifications, and patient education. The main classes of drugs to treat headache disorders include: analgesics, anti-emetics, anti-migraine medications, and prophylactic medications. However a large number of people with headache disorders are not diagnosed and treated.
Barriers to effective care
Lack of knowledge among health-care providers is the principal clinical barrier. Worldwide, on average only four hours of undergraduate medical education are dedicated to instruction on headache disorders. The minority of individuals with headache disorders worldwide are professionally diagnosed; 40% for those with migraine and TTH, while for MOH it is only 10%.
Poor awareness extends to the general public. Headache disorders are not perceived by the public as serious since they are mostly episodic, do not cause death, and are not contagious. The low consultation rates in developed countries may indicate that many sufferers are unaware that effective treatments exist. 50% of people with headache are estimated to be self-treating.
Many governments, seeking to constrain health-care costs, do not acknowledge the substantial burden of headache on society. They might not recognize that the direct costs of treating headache are small in comparison with the huge indirect-cost savings that might be made (eg, by reducing lost working days) if resources were allocated to treat headache disorders appropriately.
Headache disorders are among the most common disorders of the nervous system.
It has been estimated that 47% of the adult population have headache at least once within last year in general.
Headache disorders are associated with personal and societal burdens of pain, disability, damaged quality of life and financial cost.
A minority of people with headache disorders worldwide are diagnosed appropriately by a health-care provider.
Headache has been underestimated, under-recognized and under-treated throughout the world.
What are headache disorders?
Headache disorders are among the most common disorders of the nervous system. Headache is a painful and disabling feature of a small number of primary headache disorders namely migraine, tension-type headache, and cluster headache. Headache can also be caused by or occur secondarily to a long list of other conditions, for example medication overuse headache.
How common are headache disorders?
Globally, it has been estimated that prevalence among adults of current headache disorder (symptomatic at least once within the last year) is 47%. Half to three quarters of the adults aged 18–65 years in the world have had headache in the last year and among those individuals, more than 10% have reported migraine. Headache on 15 or more days every month affects 1.7–4% of the world’s adult population. Despite regional variations, headache disorders are a worldwide problem, affecting people of all ages, races, income levels and geographical areas.
What is the burden due to headache disorders?
Not only is headache painful, but also disabling. In the Global Burden of Disease Study, updated in 2004, migraine on its own was found to account for 1.3% of years lost due to disability (YLD).
Headache disorders impose a recognizable burden on sufferers including sometimes substantial personal suffering, impaired quality of life and financial cost. Repeated headache attacks, and often the constant fear of the next one, damage family life, social life and employment. The long-term effort of coping with a chronic headache disorder may also predispose the individual to other illnesses. For example, depression is three times more common in people with migraine or severe headaches than in healthy individuals.
Types of headache disorders
Migraine, tension-type headache and medication-overuse headache are of public health importance as they are responsible for high population levels of disability and ill-health.
Migraine
A primary headache disorder.
Most often begins at puberty and most affects those aged between 35 and 45 years.
It is caused by the activation of a mechanism deep in the brain that leads to release of pain-producing inflammatory substances around the nerves and blood vessels of the head.
Migraine is recurrent, often life-long, and characterized by attacks.
Attacks include features such as
headache of moderate or severe intensity;
nausea (the most characteristic);
one-sided and/or pulsating quality;
aggravated by routine physical activity;
with duration of hours to 2-3 days;
attack frequency is anywhere between once a year and once a week; and
in children, attacks tend to be of shorter duration and abdominal symptoms more prominent.
Tension-type headache (TTH)
TTH is the most common primary headache disorder.
Episodic TTH is reported by more than 70% of some populations; chronic TTH affects 1-3% of adults.
TTH often begins during the teenage years, affecting three women to every two men.
Its mechanism may be stress-related or associated with musculoskeletal problems in the neck.
Episodic TTH attacks usually last a few hours, but can persist for several days.
Chronic TTH can be unremitting and is much more disabling than episodic TTH.
This headache is described as pressure or tightness, like a band around the head, sometimes spreading into or from the neck.
Cluster Headache (CH)
A primary headache disorder.
CH is relatively uncommon affecting fewer than 1 in 1000 adults, affecting six men to each woman.
Most people developing CH are in their 20s or older.
It is characterized by frequent recurring, brief but extremely severe headache associated with pain around the eye with tearing and redness, the nose runs or is blocked on the affected side and the eyelid may droop.
CH has episodic and chronic forms.
Medication-overuse headache (MOH)
MOH is caused by chronic and excessive use of medication to treat headache.
MOH is the most common secondary headaches.
It may affect up to 5% of some populations, women more than men.
MOH is oppressive, persistent and often at its worst on awakening.
Social and economic burden of headache
Headache disorders are a public-health concern given the large amount of associated disability and financial costs to society. As headache disorders are most troublesome in the productive years (late teens to 50s), estimates of their financial cost to society – principally from lost working hours and reduced productivity – are massive. In the United Kingdom, for example, some 25 million working- or school-days are lost every year because of migraine alone; this financial cost is matched by TTH and chronic daily headache combined. Headache is high among causes of consulting medical practitioners as one-third of all neurological consultations were for headache, in one survey.
Yet, many of those troubled by headache do not receive effective care. For example, in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, only half of those identified with migraine had seen a doctor for headache-related reasons in the previous 12 months, and only two-thirds had been correctly diagnosed. Most were solely reliant on over-the-counter medications.
Treatment
Appropriate treatment of headache disorders requires professional training of health professionals, accurate diagnosis and recognition of the condition, appropriate treatment with cost-effective medications, simple lifestyle modifications, and patient education. The main classes of drugs to treat headache disorders include: analgesics, anti-emetics, anti-migraine medications, and prophylactic medications. However a large number of people with headache disorders are not diagnosed and treated.
Barriers to effective care
Lack of knowledge among health-care providers is the principal clinical barrier. Worldwide, on average only four hours of undergraduate medical education are dedicated to instruction on headache disorders. The minority of individuals with headache disorders worldwide are professionally diagnosed; 40% for those with migraine and TTH, while for MOH it is only 10%.
Poor awareness extends to the general public. Headache disorders are not perceived by the public as serious since they are mostly episodic, do not cause death, and are not contagious. The low consultation rates in developed countries may indicate that many sufferers are unaware that effective treatments exist. 50% of people with headache are estimated to be self-treating.
Many governments, seeking to constrain health-care costs, do not acknowledge the substantial burden of headache on society. They might not recognize that the direct costs of treating headache are small in comparison with the huge indirect-cost savings that might be made (eg, by reducing lost working days) if resources were allocated to treat headache disorders appropriately.
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