The WPA-IPS-SPF-AFPA Joint Panel Discussion Organized by the IPA: Voices from South Asia Regarding Older People’s Mental Health Advocacy and Services

Abstract

Kicking off on 1 October with the United Nations’ International Day of Older Persons (UNIDOP) and concluding on 10 October in conjunction with World Mental Health Day, the OLDER ADULT MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK was a brand-new ten-day initiative launched by the International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA). It was focused on raising awareness of the importance of Better Mental Health for Older People with virtual programs from all around the world on each of these ten days. As part of this Awareness Week, the IPA hosted a discussion entitled “Mental healthcare services and advocacy for the older people amidst COVID crisis: Voices from South Asia”, organized on October 6^th, 2021 in conjunction with the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS), Indian Association of Geriatric Mental Health (IAGMH), SAARC Psychiatric Federation (SPF), and the Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations (AFPA). This is the event report of the same panel discussion which highlights the unique challenges to old age mental healthcare among the SAARC nations, calls for urgent collaborative action, and focuses on human rights and dignity-based mental healthcare for older adults in these rapidly ageing countries.

Keywords

International Psychogeriatric Association / Indian Psychiatric Society / conferences / older people / South Asia / mental health services

References

[1] Chand M. Aging in South Asia: challenges and opportunities. South Asian Journal of Business Studies 2018;7(2):189–206. doi: 10.1108/sajbs-09-2017-0103.

[2] HelpAge India [Internet]. The Silent Tormentor COVID19 & the Elderly. A HelpAge India Report 2021 [cited 2022 Feb 10]. Available from: https://www.helpageindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/The-Silent-Tormentor-Covid-19-the-Elderly-A-HelpAge-India-Report-2021.pdf

[3] Indian Psychiatric Society [Internet]. E-Book: Telepsychiatry Operational Guidelines-2020. June 2nd, 2020 [cited 2022 Feb 10]. Available from: https://indianpsychiatricsociety.org/e-book-telepsychiatry-operational-guidelines-2020/

[4] International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), National Programme for Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE), MoHFW, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Southern California (USC) 2020. Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave 1, 2017–18, Executive Summary [Internet]. International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai [cited 2022 Feb 10]. Available from: https://www.iipsindia.ac.in/content/lasi-publications

[5] IPA Bulletin [Internet]. Special Issue: Telehealth. 2020 [cited 2022 Feb 10]. Available from: https://www.ipa-online.org/publications/ipa-bulletin/featured-articles/special-issue-telehealth

[6] IPA Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Week 1–10 October 2021 [Internet]. 6 October: Voices from South Asia Panel Presentation [cited 2022 Feb 10]. Available from: https://awarenessweek.ipa-online.org/resources/6-october/6-october-voices-from-south-asia

[7] Katona C, Chiu E, Adelman S, et al. World psychiatric association section of old age psychiatry consensus statement on ethics and capacity in older people with mental disorders. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2009 Dec;24(12):1319–1324. doi: 10.1002/gps.2279.

[8] Mental Health in the times of COVID-19 Pandemic-Guidance for General Medical & Specialised Mental Health Care Settings. 2020 [cited 2022 Feb 10]. Available from: https://indianpsychiatricsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/IPS-NIMHANS-COVID-19-Final.pdf

[9] NIMHANS. Psychosocial care for frontline health care workers. 2020 [cited 2022 Feb 10]. Available from: https://nimhans.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/FHW-Manual-Final.pdf

[10] The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Vol 29, Issue 10 (October 2021) [cited 2022 Feb 10]. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/the-american-journal-of-geriatric-psychiatry/vol/29/issue/10

[11] Trivedi JK, Goel D, Kallivayalil RA, et al. Regional cooperation in South Asia in the field of mental health. World Psychiatry 2007 Feb;6(1):57–59. PMC1805715

[12] Vahia IV, Jeste DV, Reynolds CF, 3rd. Older Adults and the Mental Health Effects of COVID-19. JAMA 2020 Dec 8;324(22):2253–2254. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.21753.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Banerjee D., Javed A., Rao G., Saha G., Pradhan S.