International Conference on Schizophrenia organised by SCARF gets under way in city
The 12th International Conference on Schizophrenia, organized by the Schizophrenia Research Foundation, is currently underway in Chennai. Experts are discussing the integration of mental health into broader healthcare systems and the rising burden of non-communicable diseases.
Why it matters
Addressing mental health as a core component of public health is essential for improving population-level health outcomes.
The 12 th edition of the three-day International Conference on Schizophrenia organised by the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) was inaugurated on Thursday.
At the launch of the conference, Natarajan Varadharajan, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, received the first STELAR Award from Darez Ahamed, Health Secretary to the Tamil Nadu government; Ashoo Grover, Scientist G, Indian Council of Medical Research; and R. Thara, co-founder, SCARF.
Mr. Ahamed said mental health was a critical component of any health system, alongside priorities such as maternal and child health that feature in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Tamil Nadu has a robust District Mental Health Programme and psychiatry departments in medical colleges, but the larger challenge is to deliver mental health services at the population level, much like maternal and child health services , he said.
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