FIELD VISIT REPORT

ON

National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro

Sciences (NIMHANS) De-Addiction Centre
A Short History

The De-addiction Centre at NIMHANS was established in 1991. In 1998, the NIMHANS De-Addiction
Centre was recognized as the Regional Centre for the Southern Region by the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare, Government of India. A separate building was commissioned in 2002. It has now
expanded into a 58 bedded centre.

Services provided at the Deaddiction Centre

Assessment of the drug/alcohol use problems

Detoxification Pharmacotherapy

Individual counseling

Group therapy

Treatment for associated medical and psychiatric illness

Services provided at the deaddiction centre for families of substance users Brief counseling sessions
in the outpatient department. Intensive family sessions that focus on:

The impact of substance use o Strengthening coping strategies o Helping to support abstinence o
Behavioral modification in terms of communication, role functioning and reinforcement o Group work
for family members. o Pre discharge counseling for the family members.

Home visits o Assessment of children Outreach services We have provided services and models of care
for NGOs and workplaces in evolving substance use prevention programs Research from the center has
focused on Extent of alcohol and drug problems in the community (Epidemiological research) Examining
brain changes in persons with high vulnerability to addiction (Imaging and electrophysiological)
Treatment and Outcome studies Training programs include Training of post-graduates in medicine and
mental health Workshops/Seminars/Symposia at regional, national and international levels

What are drugs of abuse and how do they affect people?

A drug of abuse refers to any drug that alters mood or body function that can be habitforming or
addictive People generally use drugs because they like the way drugs make them feel Pleasure is a
powerful force If one does something pleasurable, the brain is wired in such a way that one wants to do
it again A person has control over his/her choice to start using drugs, but once started, the pleasurable
effect of drugs makes one want to keep reusing Over time, the brain actually changes in certain ways
that the powerful urge to use drugs controls the persons‘ behavior. This is what it means by addiction.
Someone who is addicted uses drugs without thinking or caring about the consequences Drugs that alter
the mind and behaviour can cause problems even before addiction develops
The Child Guidance Clinic

It was set up in NIMHANS in 1957. Organized services in the area of Mental Retardation (The Mental
Retardation clinic) started in 1968. The two services were amalgamated and subsumed under the Child
and Adolescent Services in 1987.

Separate inpatient services were established in 1967. At present there are two in-patient facilities – the
Child Psychiatry Centre (CPC) and the Adolescent Psychiatry Centre (APC). The Child psychiatry Centre
caters to children less than the age of 16 years and is a 40-bedded facility. The Adolescent Psychiatry
Centre is a 24-bedded facility and caters to adolescents between the ages of 16-18 years.

The services have been functioning with the able support of a multi-disciplinary team since 1975. At
present, the core team consists of 4 Consultant Psychiatrists (Prof. Satish Chandra Girimaji, Prof.
Shekhar P Seshadri, Dr. K. John Vijay Sagar and Dr. Preeti Jacob), 4 Consultant Clinical Psychologists
(Prof. Uma Hirisave, Dr B.N. Roopesh, Dr. Thomas Kishore and Dr Nithya Poornima Santosh) and 2
Psychiatric Social Work Consultants (Dr. Kavita Jangam and Dr. Bino Thomas). The service has liaison
with the Departments including Neurology, Neurosurgery, Speech Pathology & Audiology, Rehabilitation,
and Human Genetics. In order to start new courses especially a DM in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and
for improved growth, a proposal to start an independent department was approved and it has started
functioning from the 31st Dec 2010. Professor Shoba Srinath, was the first Head of Department. Prof.

Satish Girimaji was the next Head of Department and finished his 3-year tenure in April 2016. Professor
Shoba retired as a Senior Professor at the Department on the 30th of June, 2017. Prof. Shekhar P
Seshadri is the current Head of the Department. The Department continues a high-quality level of service
delivery at the inpatient and outpatient sections. The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry runs
two super-specialty courses in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry namely the Post-Doctoral Fellowship (1
year) and the DM (3 years). The Post-Doctoral Fellowship course was started in 2008 and the DM was
started in 2011.