Apps Just A Click Away For Daily Help In Mental Illness

Apps Just A Click Away For Daily Help In Mental Illness

Developed By AIIMS & IIIT-D, Public Launch Likely In January

DurgeshNandan.Jha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:20.09.2021

A person suffering from mental illness in India might find treatment, but it would be near impossible to find guidance for managing functional problems in daily life. Disha and Saksham, two apps developed by the psychiatry division of AIIMS in collaboration with Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi, aim to change this. While Disha is focused on helping newly diagnosed patients of schizophrenia and other severe psychotic disorders, Saksham is meant to help those suffering from chronic illness.

The apps have been used successfully by 25 patients and, the researchers reported, they plan to roll them out for the public by January 2022. “The computer engineers involved in the project are currently working to ensure the safety of patient data,” said Dr Mamta Sood, professor of psychiatry at AIIMS, who is also one of the project developers.

These apps will be available in English and Hindi. Once individuals download the app and fill in the details about their illness, it will display information about the nature and course of the disease and the treatment and management of its side-effects. The app will also have the option to update details about compliance on medication and daily self-care tasks, Sood added.

In the movie A Beautiful Mind, actor Russel Crowe plays the role of mathematician John Nash who suffered from schizophrenia and had delusions and hallucinations. Constant engagement with doctors, support from family members and at the place of work help the mathematician recover considerably. While this is ideal, the AIIMS doctor revealed there weren’t enough mental health professionals in India, resulting in a treatment gap.

According to the World Mental Health Atlas Report, 2017, there are only 0.29 psychiatrists per 100,000 population in India. Child psychiatrists are rarer. The availability of psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and other paid mental health workers that form the backbone of mental healthcare in western countries is also scarce, according to experts.

The patients and their caregivers still trawl the internet for information on disease management. But online sources are often not reliable, caution researchers. Also, caregivers too need encouragement. The mobile apps developed by AIIMS and IIIT Delhi experts will have features to motivate them, one example of this being pop-up messages of encouragement to caregivers and questions seeking to know their well-being.

The apps provide an opportunity to consider the physical health of a patient, an aspect that is often neglected. “The apps have options to feed data on the weight, blood pressure and other key parameters in addition to suggestions such as eating healthy and leading an active life,” disclosed Sood.

Don’t ignore the danger of dizziness

Don’t ignore the danger of dizziness

20.09.2021

When you get out of bed too quickly, do you occasionally feel dizzy and have to sit down again? That light-headedness is called postural hypotension (PHoT) — literally an abnormal drop in blood pressure when you stand.

It is worth noting because it can raise the risk of falls, heart disease, depression, dementia and death.

What to do

When getting out of bed, change position in stages (from lying to sitting to standing), rather than standing in one swift movement. While sitting, count to ten before standing.

The golden rule to treating PHoT is to avoid its triggers. Avoid alcohol, large meals, very warm environments or hot showers. Sleep with the head of the bed raised. Exercise every day to normalise your blood pressure and when you stand, tense the muscles in your legs and buttocks.

— DAILY MIRROR

OMR sheet leak: SI aspirant in cop net

OMR sheet leak: SI aspirant in cop net

Alwar:20.09.2021

The police here on Saturday arrested a 22-yearold man who appeared for Rajasthan police sub-inspector recruitment tests and posted photos and videos of his answersheet from the examination hall.

Jaydev Sharma, a resident of Hanumangarh, was arrested from Sri Ganganagar by Alwar’s Kotwali police. Police said that Sharma’s examination centre was allotted in Alwar’s Nehru Public School located in Scheme 4 at Rajendra Nagar locality. He came to Alwar on Wednesday to appear in the recruitment examination. About five minutes before the examination was to get over, Sharma shot videos and photos of his OMR (optical mark reader) also known as the answer sheet, from his mobile phone.

Sharma is accused of uploading photos of his answer sheet on social media. Sources in Alwar police claimed that SDM had taken cognisance of the matter and directed an FIR which was registered on Friday at Kotwali police station in Alwar.

SHO Rajesh Sharma told TOI that a mobile phone was recovered from the accused from which he had shot photos of the answer sheet.

The centre’s superintendent, deputy superintendent and two invigilators have also been charge-sheeted in the matter. The photograph of the OMR sheet of a candidate giving the SI exam went viral on social media on Thursday.

Sources said that the incident hinted at a major breach of the examination centre protocol because mobile phones are strictly prohibited inside the premises. TNN

Book 16 days before travel for low airfares

Book 16 days before travel for low airfares

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:20.09.2021

You will now be able to get domestic air tickets at lower rates for travel beyond 15 days of booking. Fare bands will apply only to domestic tickets booked within 15 days of travel, instead of 30 earlier.

This apart, airlines can now operate more domestic flights — up to 85% of their pre-pandemic capacity instead of the earlier 72.5%. This is the maximum capacity deployment allowed during the pandemic as before the second wave, the allowed highest domestic capacity was 80%.

The winter schedule comes into force next monthend and the industry is hoping that if Covid remains under control, airlines may be allowed to return completely to pre-Covid domestic capacity.

The aviation ministry on Saturday allowed airlines to sell domestic tickets based on market forces of demand and supply — without adhering to fare bands — for travel beyond 15 days of booking. This means, a person booking on October 1 can book a ticket for travel after October 15 to be offered rates by airlines that are lower than the prescribed minimum for that domestic route as also higher than the allowed maximum under the fare bands. Called rolling fare bands, the earlier time period was 30 days which has now been cut by half to 15.

This also means that fare bands put in place in May last year when domestic flights were allowed to resume after a two-month suspension during the lockdown, will continue for some time. Senior airlines industry officials expect fare bands to remain in place till 100% of pre-domestic capacity is allowed.

Low-cost carriers account for almost 80% of domestic air travel. The thumb rule for budget flyers, in pre-Covid times, was book early and get low fares. This way airlines get cash flow and early birds get low fares. The shorter window for which domestic fare bands are applicable will allow airlines to offer lower than the minimum fares for not so early birds.

You can fly to Sindhudurg from Oct 9

Mumbai:

From October 9, direct flights to Sindhudurg will operate after the airport’s inauguration by state authorities. IRB Sindhudurg Airport Pvt Ltd received an aerodrome licence to operate its newly-built greenfield Sindhudurg airport at Chipi. Director-general of civil aviation (DGCA) issued the license on Friday night, an IRB spokesperson said. The project has a cost outlay of approximately Rs 800 crore and an operating and cost recovery (concession) period of over 90 years. TNN

CBSE Has Not Asked Any School To Conduct Only Offline Exams

Schools can’t force students for offline exams, says DEO

CBSE Has Not Asked Any School To Conduct Only Offline Exams

Ramendra.Singh@timesgroup.com

Bhopal:20.09.2021

District education office, Bhopal, made it clear on Saturday after several parents complained that schools are forcing their children to take offline exams that schools can’t force students to take offline exams.

School education department has also made it clear that action will be taken against the schools that force students for offline exams without their consent.

The tussle between parents and management of several schools in Bhopal over offline exams has intensified.

Although CBSE has not asked any school to conduct only offline exams, several schools have forced parents to send their wards to school for the campus exams.

Parents have also complained against such schools to district administration.

DEO Bhopal, Nitin Tripathi said, “Schools can conduct offline exams, but they can’t force any parent for offline exams. If parents are not willing to send their children to campus, then school will have to conduct online exams. The rule is applicable for all boards in the state capital.”

Senior school education department officials said on the condition of anonymity that several parents have contacted them to seek their intervention.

“Parents have been told that they can file a complaint if schools have refused to conduct online exams and force parents for offline exams without their consent,” said an official.

Such is the situation that even the schools that kept their campuses closed till date have also forced the parents to send their children for offline exams.

“This is strange that on one side schools have kept their campuses closed, citing fear of a third wave and on the other side they are insisting that my children write their exams on campus only. I have never seen such kind of approach,” lamented a parent, Avinash Rao.

Parents also alleged that schools have also refused to provide bus facilities.

“My daughter’s school has opened the campus after announcement of the reopening by the state government. However, school authorities have not started school buses, saying it is not easy to handle primary school children in the bus. If they can’t handle them in the bus, then how would they do it in the class,” asked another parent, Anita Mukherjee.

MUHS declares postgraduate, diploma results in six days

MUHS declares postgraduate, diploma results in six days

Ranjan.Dasgupta@timesgroup.com

Nashik:17.09.2021

Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) on Wednesday night declared the results of the summer 2021 post graduate (allopathy) and diploma (medical) offline examinations, just six days after the completion of the exams.

As many as 2,150 students had appeared for these exams and the pass percentage was over 95%. In the previous exam too the pass percentage was around 95% among about 2,000 students who had appeared.

MUHS authorities said this is one of the shortest periods in recent times that the examination department has announced the exam results.

“We were able to announce the results within six days due as the evaluation of the answer scripts started immediately after completion of the theory papers on August 23. We requested all examiners to complete checking the answer scripts as soon as possible. Each answer script is checked twice by two different examiners,” the university’s controller of examination, Dr Ajit Pathak, told TOI.

Pathak said acting vicechancellor, Nitin Karmalkar, had been guiding the examination department to declare the results speedily. Moreover, the department’s officials and staff worked even on holidays.

Govt puts cap on vehicle price, no high-end cars for university bigwigs

Govt puts cap on vehicle price, no high-end cars for university bigwigs

Hemali.Chhapia@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:17.09.2021

The state government has capped the price for purchasing automobiles for university authorities. A government resolution to that effect has been passed and the upper limit for a vehicle for a vicechancellor (VC) has been set at Rs 12 lakh, which includes the cost of installing additional accessories and services. Similarly, the expenditure limit for a pro vice-chancellor’s car is Rs 10 lakh.

The GR caused ripples in the academic circles with heads of universities making frantic calls to Mantralaya to find out whether the rules would be applicable retrospectively too. “We have issued a resolution to ensure that university heads do not splurge on cars. After all, this money is collected from students’ fees,” minister for higher and technical education Uday Samant told TOI. “VCs are on a par with state secretaries and after due diligence, my team has issued the expenditure limit that all university authorities need to adhere to.”

VCs who have been enquiring regarding the application of rules on purchases already made, may have to wait for clarity. “The matter on whether university heads should personally pay the difference between the cost incurred and what is permitted for a car is pending before the higher education secretary,” said Samant.

Interestingly, the minister who toured several state universities noticed that most VCs had purchased very high-end vehicles “Our cabinet ministers travel in a car costing Rs 12 lakh. Our state’s chief secretary has a car costing Rs 15 lakh. But our VCs are traveling in cars ranging from Rs 45 lakh to Rs 60 lakh. We were worried that if a GR is not put in place, we will find VCs travelling in vehicles that will cost a crore,” said a source from the ministry.