'The Best is Yet to Be!' by Dr Pratima Murthy
About the Session:
“Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be” (Robert Browning).
Life need not peak only at youth. Better, deeper and more meaningful experiences can come with age. Age need not necessarily be seen as a loss of function. Age can bring more reflection and a renewed sense of purpose. It also means we need to view mental well-being as a vital aspect of healthy aging. This includes emotional balance, cognitive stimulation and retaining that sense of purpose. Aging can bring life changes including declining physical health, loss and other changes, which can increase a risk of loneliness and psychological distress.
Looking after mental well-being involves staying connected, engaging in meaningful activities, staying physically active and nurturing a positive outlook. One also needs to know when and where to reach out for help. Being valued, connected and mentally stimulated improves quality of life and resilience.
Key Takeaways:
Looking after mental well-being involves staying connected, engaging in meaningful activities, staying physically active and nurturing a positive outlook. One also needs to know when and where to reach out for help. Being valued, connected and mentally stimulated improves quality of life and resilience.
About the Speaker:
Dr Pratima Murthy, Former Director and Senior Professor of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru has over three and a half decades of experience in the field of addiction and mental health. She is an alumnus of Bangalore Medical College. She completed her Diploma and MD in Psychological Medicine from NIMHANS and has a Diploma in Psychological Medicine from the University of Manchester, UK. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Glasgow, UK. She has an honorary doctorate from the Sathya Sai University of Health Sciences and the YSR University of Health Sciences.
As the Director, NIMHANS, she has undertaken many innovations in patient care, training and research. She has undertaken several rights-based initiatives for persons with mental illness, provided leadership to Tele-MANAS, Karnataka Brain Health Initiative and the NMHS 2, served as an expert to WHO for several guidelines for mental health and substance use. As an addiction specialist, she has made seminal contributions in clinical care, training, research and policy. She has expanded addiction services, facilitated digital interventions and initiated post graduate programmes. She has about 400 research publications, won several awards and mentored several post graduate students.