Project Guardian
is a voluntary organization providing quality humanitarian service
to the psychologically distressed through awareness generation,
early detection, treatment and rehabilitation.
Many
of our clients / patients are children, who under pressure of
environmental factors such as their particular community, their
home, their school, fall victim to one or other related illnesses.
Their concentration flags, they become inattentive and arrogant,
they fall short of their potential both intellectually and in
other ways, their physical health shows visible signs of deterioration
which, if not dealt with early on, could lead to serious damage.
A
study was organised among school children at Andrews (H.S.) High
School, 33 Gariahat Road, Dhakuria, Kolkata - 700 031. The studycomprised
of an approx. of 316 children between the age group of 9 and 15
years. Excepting a few they were mostly of middle income group
family. The family set-up of most of them were nuclear. |
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Although
the statistics given above show the common problems among children in
a single health check-up, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Regular
follow up in a duration of minimum six months of these effected children
may reduce their chances of contracting these unwanted problems.
An epidemiological study on the behavioural disturbances in children was
conducted by Dr. Verghese, Professor & Head of the unit, Deptt. Of
Psychiatry Christian Medical College ,Vellore among 747 children in the
age group of 4 to 12 years.
The following
statistics were obtained:
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The
statistics given above are alarming in themselves, and when taken in conjunction
with the statistics given in Table 19iven above, they combine to prove
that per 1000 children on an average 81.7 to 110.75 children suffer from
Psychological Disorder of various forms and in various magnitude, that
too when we forego the physical aberrations effecting these children.
Child Psychiatry
is comparatively a young discipline in developing countries. There are
not so many centers that practice child psychiatry, and as such research
is lagging behind when compared to the advances that are being made
in the field in the advanced countries. While children under 15 years
of age constitute only 25% of the population in the developed countries,
40% of the total population are children below 15 years of age in a
developing country like India. Surveys of general population show that
the prevalence of persistent and socially handicapping psychological
problems are children aged 3 and 15 years. Data although limited, from
the developing countries also suggests a roughly similar data.
Research
in developed countries as well as India, has identified inconsistent
parental behavior, lack of love, separation from parents, nuclear family,
over protection, increased parental expectation, considering the emotional
needs of the child secondary, and an unhealthy school environment may
all contribute in various combinations to the genesis of varied physical
and psychological problems in children. Of all the attributes that determine
the child's personality, family is the most important. It is with this
social group the child spends more time with, than any other social
group with which the child identifies. Empirical evidences also show
that an unhealthy classroom climate makes the child tense, nervous,
irritable and troublesome. Early detection and timely intervention may,
to a large extent, help in alleviating the problems of toady's school
going children.
With rapid
industrialization and urbanization child raising has become a tricky
business in the recent years. Mounting pressures and pulls of our hectic
lifestyles have become the source of behavioural problems which, in
turn, are aggravating physical symptoms of our children. It is, in fact,
a result of interactive effect between family and society on the children.
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