Bhubaneswar: Manam Foundation, a non-profit organisation working in the field of mental health and wellness, recently hosted an event to mark World Suicide Prevention Day at Bhaja Kala Mandap here. Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda, who was the chief guest on the occasion, stressed holding frequent sensitisation programmes and inculcating hobbies in individuals to take care of one’s mental health and wellbeing. “Collective methods should be made to bring down suicide rates to zero,” he said. Pro-Vice Chairperson of DPS Kalinga, Mala Mishra was the guest of honour.
In her address, Mala highlighted the cases of suicide among children and told about the steps being taken by the institute to address the sensitive issue. Applauding the efforts of Manam Foundation, she underlined the need for counselling and narrated how DPS Kalinga encourages buddy counselling techniques like peer counselling and empathy circles. The other speakers were Amrit Pattojoshi, Secretary of the Indian Psychiatric Society, and Director of the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Sridhar M Kadam. Manam founding director Anuradha Mahapatra presided over the event.