Budding psychologists visit mental health institute at Amritsar

From childhood to adulthood, mental health issues can occur at any stage of life. Moreover, as per the research article published by Deloitte, over the years, mental health issues have seen a steady rise globally, accentuated further by the onset of COVID-19. The scale of mental disorders in India accounts for nearly 15% of the global mental health burden. And therefore, it’s imperative that we are conscious of our mental well-being.  If we feel the need, we can also consult an expert as they will be able to recognise concerns (if any) and help us cope with the same in the best way possible. 

Thus, to make psychology students understand the importance of mental health and familiarise them with patients and their cases, the Department of Psychology of Apeejay College of Fine Arts (ACFA), Jalandhar, recently organised a field visit to Vidya Sagar Institute of Mental Health, Amritsar, for these budding psychologists.

During the visit, the students interacted with the doctors and listened to the case histories of different patients. They also observed the patients suffering from different psychological disorders like bipolar, schizophrenia, etc. Later, they went to the Rehabilitation Centre, where the patients were practicing various activities such as knitting, stitching, and so on. 

Sharing her views from this informative visit, Dr Neerja Dhingra, Principal of ACFA said, “Mental health is as crucial as physical health. And thus, it’s important for the students of psychology to observe and understand the real conditions of patients, who are suffering from psychological diseases.”

She appreciated Ms Monika Sekhon, Head of the Department of Psychology along with Ms Jagriti and other faculty members, for organising this educational visit and accompanying the students. 

Expressing her experience from the field visit, Yashkiran Kaur, a student of BA Semester- 4, said, “It was both an educating as well as an informative expedition. I hope the psychology department organises more and more clinical visits like this.”

Another student, Divjot from BA Semester- 4 expressed, “It was an eye opening experience for us to witness what we have been reading in our textbooks. I felt sympathetic towards the patients and just hope that I’ll be able to help them someday.”