In an effort to address the issue of depression among people, the Police Department has decided to establish Chetana Distress Intervention Centres (DIC) in select locations on a pilot basis.
These centres will be established on school premises in nine out of 17 circles and they will function independently. They will function for three days a week – Friday, Saturday and Sunday – from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Chetana teams will consist of two retired teachers, two police officers, a psychiatrist, one or two student volunteers and an Asha/paramedical worker.
As many as 105 retired teachers were identified by the police department to don the role of counsellors. However, as only nine centres are being started in the next few days, it has been decided to impart training to 36 teachers as of now.
As part of this, a one-day counselling session was held on recently on GITAM University campus here.
“From agrarian problems to those related to toddy culture as well as urbanisation, are found in the district. On the other hand, some people are committing suicides in the spur of the movement due to various reasons like debt, marital problems, physical problems and failure in love,” says the concept paper prepared by the Police Department, explaining the reasons to commence the initiative.
These centres will commence at Sangareddy (Rural), Sadashivapet, Zaheerabad (town), Patncheru, Medak (town), Jogipet, Narayanakhed, Toopran and Sidipet.
Formally inaugurating the one-day training programme, C.V. Anand, Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad, congratulated B. Sumathi, Superintendent of Police, for the initiative. This initiative can be replicated across the State if it is successful, he said.
Dr. A. Suvarna of Neurology Dept., in NIMS, Dr. K. Chandrasekhar, managing director, ASHA Hospitals, D.V.V.S. Varma, Resident Director, GITAM, and others were present.
