By Mr Ratandeep Chawla for BISMumbai

A workshop titled ‘Psychiatry Basics’ was conducted by Dr Wilona Annunciation on 16 and 17 July 2022 at Prafulta, Andheri. This workshop provided an understanding of mental health in the management of psychiatric disorders and the medications associated with it. The two-day workshop had 10 participants, all of whom were practising mental health professionals.

Dr Annunciation discussed the current understanding of the different types of neurotransmitters and its role in mental illness, the medications that are prescribed, how to balance the medications with other issues and managing side effects. She also included age based mental health concerns, myths of psychiatric medications, alternative treatments for mental illness, why people refuse medications and also helped in understanding for how long these medicines are usually continued.

The participants felt that they had an enriched learning experience especially since the entire workshop was highly immersive and interactive. Mrs Shubra Sarvaiya, a participant remarked: "The sessions were really eye opening. It has added so much more depth to my understanding of work and people." All the participants found it extremely informative and interesting, learning from each other through the questions raised and understanding perspectives through the examples given. The questions raised on every topic were all patiently answered by Dr Annunciation.

Dr Annunciation shared that while educating everyone about the intricacies of the mind is her favourite thing to do, she was grateful to the participants who made the time despite their busy schedules to add to their knowledge of psychiatry.