The Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS, Bhopal, in collaboration with Sangath, Bhopal hub, conducted a symposium on “Global Mental Health & Digital Psychiatry” on Friday.

The symposium focussed on regional and global deficits in mental health services and how technology can be used to address these issues. Prof Sarman Singh, Director & CEO, AIIMS, Bhopal presided over the event.

International speakers included Prof Vikram Patel from Pershing School of Global Health, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA; Dr John Torous and Dr Elena Rodriguez-Villa, Beth Israeal Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA; Dr Daisy Singla, University of Toronto.

Speakers from India included Dr Urvakhsh Mehta from National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Dr Kaushik Sinha Deb, AIIMS, New Delhi and Dr Abhijit Pakhare from AIIMS, Bhopal. In his inaugural address, Prof Sarman Singh said that technology can be made a partner in addressing health care deficits including assessment and management of mental health especially in the era of smart phones being used so commonly.

Dr Abhijit Pakhare, highlighted that mental health disorders including suicide and violence were among the top causes of disability in the productive age group of 25-50 years.

Prof Vikram Patel focussed on adolescent issues and how they can be addressed by community health workers. Dr Daisy Singla informed how non-medication treatment can also help in managing community based treatment of mental health disorders. Dr Koushik Sinha Deb reported his research findings on how people with mental illness and their caregivers are comfortable with using a smartphone.

Dr John Torous and Dr Elena showed how their recently developed app can be used to assess functioning of those with mental illness and also help patientRs s monitor their own lifestyle.

Dr Urvakhsh Mehta informed the students how new digital tools can be developed and used for patients with deficits in brain functioning.

This conference was organised as a part of research study currently being initiated by Sangath Bhopal, NIMHANS Bengaluru, BIDMC Boston, USA and AIIMS, Bhopal. The study aims to identify relapse of illness with the help of smartphone app. The conference was attended by 250 delegates that included students, psychiatrists and psychologists from all over the country.