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by Bharatha Malawaraarachchi

A new leaf will be turned in the country's medical history when the new state-of-the-art community mental health unit will be inaugurated next week at the Colombo South Teaching (Kalubowila) Hospital.

This centre for community mental health is in a three storeyed building which houses all facilities to conduct a full community mental health programme in Sri Lanka. The President's Fund has provided funds for this initiative.

"This will be the first time such a centre is being opened here to meet the rising demand for mental care," a medical official told the Daily News adding that the project seeks to improve economic productivity by reducing violence and conflicts in society.

The Community Mental Health Centre of the Teaching Hospital, Kalubowila has already initiated a programme called "Vinivida" to improve the mental status of schoolchildren.

"This programme will invariably be a grate boon for the future generation," he added.

The "Vinivida" programme already being implemented in Homagama division will be expanded to the whole of Western province and subsequently, the whole Island.

Prof. Samudra Kathriarachchi, head of the Center for Community Mental Health at the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital stressed that the whole program will be directed towards the psychological uplift and improvement of the self-esteem of the adolescents.

The programme pays more attention towards children as the period of transition from childhood to adolescence is always turbulent.

A number of behavioral and emotional problems are frequently noticed at this stage (mood swings, impulsive nature, difficulty in coping, building self-identity, fantasies, violent, and angry behaviour, anxiety states, complex feelings about self and others and attraction to the opposite sex).

"Therefore, proper supportive help and adequate buffer mechanisms need to be built into a child's life to handle this transformation crisis effectively," the medical official added.

Director of the programme Dr. N. Kumanayake states that poor self- esteem which is the result of inadequacy of proper care and attention on the part of parents and teachers is the main cause of child delinquency and violent and anti-social behaviour.

"This program intends to instill the ability in youth to cope with stresses and strains in life, tools to improve self-esteem , coping mechanics and techniques for management of anxieties," he said.

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