Intergenerational Dialogue on Social and Emotional Well-being of Children

Intergenerational Dialogue on Social and Emotional Well-being of Children by Dr.D.Srinivasan, Senior Psychiatrist, KMCH

Worldwide Context:

10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders. Scientific evidence shows half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and three-quarters by mid-20s. Neuropsychiatric conditions are the leading cause of disability in young people in all regions. If untreated, these conditions severely influence children’s development, their educational attainments and their potential to live fulfilling and productive lives. Children with mental disorders face major challenges with stigma, isolation and discrimination, as well as lack of access to health care and education facilities, in violation of their fundamental human rights states WHO.

Why Social and Emotional well-being of children is critical?

One of the major aspects of holistic child development is social development. This focuses on children’s ability to interact with others and build relationships. It engages a broad spectrum of support systems; including family, school, and community, to ensure children reach their full potential. Community involvement in children’s upbringing along with children’s involvement in community life produces long term benefits in children’s lives helping them to develop their sense of belonging and build a strong identity. Another major component of a holistic development approach is emotional development. It relatively focuses on children’s ability to understand their own and others feelings, express and regulate their emotions and develop empathy for others. The foundations of social competence that are developed in the first five years are linked to children’s emotional well-being and affect a child’s later ability to functionally adapt in school and to form successful relationships throughout life.
Source: ‘Nurturing the Spiritual development of Children in Early Years’ TOOLKIT by the Ethics Education Programme @ Arigatou International

Profile of the Speaker:

Dr.D.Srinivasan, M.D (Psy), DPM, did his MBBS from Madras Medical College, Chennai from 1972 to 1978. Then he completed his D.P.M (1982) and M.D. in Psychiatry (1985) from the Institute of Mental Health, Chennai. He has been leading the Department of Psychiatry at Kovai Medical Centre Hospitals from 1992.

From 1993 he has served as Medical Director of Kasturba Gandhi De-addiction Research and Rehabilitation Center which has treated more than 13,000 patients. His innovative methods of treatment to increase abstinence rates amongst people seeking de-addiction treatment are known across the country. This center also runs a suicide prevention center with a telephone hotline 106 for more than 17 years and helped thousands of clients. Between 1995 to 2016 he has conducted more than 1300 group therapy sessions, an innovative method to deliver cost effective solutions to mental health problems of patients and their family members.

GATE – Global Academy for Total Empowerment has conducted 34 batches of Personality development programs from 1998 to 2016. Each programme running from 6 to 12 Sundays delivers a comprehensive inner core change, memory development and learning skills.

He has further conducted many programs for students, teachers and employees of many Institutions on stress management and emotional intelligence. He has delivered more than 1000 lectures on various public platforms on stress management, anger management, relationship management, effective learning skills, emotional wellness and positive parenting. He has held the office of the Secretary of the Indian Psychiatric Society’s Tamil Nadu chapter from 1993 to 1995 and the office of the President from 2008 to 2009. He is a Life Fellow in the Indian Psychiatric Society (I.P.S.), Fellow of the Indian Association of Private Psychiatry (I.A.P.P.) and Member, American Psychiatric Association (A.P.A.).

Programme