The World Mental Health Day was celebrated in Manipur. The World Mental Health Day observance at RIMS Jubilee Hall and the Kangla hall was attended by various distinguished persons. A week long observation of the day was also organized, starting from October 4. The present event also marked the concluding ceremony of the week long observation of the day. A discussion was also held on topics related to mental health of the people.

This event was jointly organized by the Indian Psychology Society, Manipur state branch, Rotary Club of Imphal and department of psychiatry and department of psychology, jointly at RIMS Jubilee Hall. MANIDCO chairman, MLA N Mangi Singh was the chief guest. Other luminaries present at the occasion were RIMS Superintendent Dr Y Mohen; president of Indian Psychiatry Society, Manipur State Branch Dr L Surchandra; Rotary Club Imphal president Dr Ksh Chourjit; Head of Psychiatry Department RIMS Dr N Heramani; Head of Clinical Psychology M Akshaykumar and Rotary Club of India, Community Services Director Dr Th Sudheeranjan. 

October 10 is observed as the World Mental Health Day every year all over the world. This year’s theme was "Making Mental Health a Global Priority, Scaling up Services Through Citizen Advocacy and Action".

MLA N Mangi Singh said that half the illness of a patient is cured on hearing the pleasing words of a doctor or nurse attending him. He added that for the recovery of a patient, the role of the nurses is great. The nurses should do their duty sincerely with concern for the patients. A doctor should not scold a patient or use words which could hurt their sentiments, under any conditions. They should also take a great role in reducing the communication gap in the society.

He said that concerned families should not delay treating a person suffering from mental problems by leaving everything to the almighty only, on the wrong belief that the problems were caused by supernatural forces. They should not spend money in vain. Instead, they should consult the experts in the field and avail proper treatment by diagnosing. 

MLA E Kunjeshwor, chairman, pollution control board, Manipur, speaking at the observation at the Kangla hall, said that around 30 to 40 percent of the people of the state were suffering from one or more kind of mental problems. He added that this is the outcome of the prevailing problems in the state where unemployment problems are compounding with the increase in violent activities of killings, extortions and blockades and bandhs. 

RIMS Superintendent Y Mohen said that it's time for relevant experts to do a detail study on the impacts/sufferings caused to mental health of the people by the existing issue of insurgency. He observed that the insurgency movement inflicted mental sufferings to different degrees on all sections of the society including children. There has been no proper research till date on the ailments/sufferings caused by the insurgency movement to the mental health of the people.