The Programme

Mental Health Centre is the oldest inpatient care centre for the mentally ill in Kerala.  It stretches across 36 acres, housing 54 buildings, while trying to preserve the therapeutic beauty that nature has endowed this august institution with. 

This institution took shape as the Lunatic Asylum in the year 1870 by His Highness the Maharaja of Travancore.  It was renamed Mental Health Centre in 1985 and currently cater to the population of six southern districts of Kerala and some districts of Tamil Nadu.  It is under the direct supervision of the High Court of Kerala.    

This institution offers training for two DNB (Psychiatry) Primary Entrance Test passed candidates each year from any part of India.  In addition to this, the hospital is permitted to enroll an equal number of institutional candidates working in this institution. 

It provides excellent clinical and academic opportunities for candidates to develop into skilled clinicians with exposure to a wide variety of issues- preventive, promotive and rehabilitative -confronting quality mental health care.  It is the first, and currently the only institution under the Kerala Health Service Department to be accorded this privileged status.

The centre functions under the stewardship of a Deputy Director of Health Services, Government of Kerala.  Quality of care has improved steadily over the last several years.  The centre is located in the capital city of Kerala, enabling the candidates easy access to innumerable  CME Programmes associated with subjects like Neurology, Epileptology, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Research Methodology etc.,

Services Offered

Mental Health Centre is fast becoming a centre of excellence in mental health care in Kerala.  The post graduate training programme in Psychiatry is a 3 year course accredited to the National Board of Examinations, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Besides observers from medicine, nursing, psychiatric social work come for short stay training, experience and research work from various parts of south India and overseas. 

Outpatient Care

Services run on a daily basis including Sundays and Holidays from 08.30 A.M. to 01.00 P.M. and 03.30 P.M. to 05.30. P.M.  The average OP attendance is 120 – 150 patients, giving the candidates a wide exposure to the spectrum of mental disorders and their management, thus enabling the candidates to attain a high degree of clinical proficiency.

Inpatient Services

There are a total of 34 wards – including family wards, custodial care wards, forensic wards and medical wards.  The bed strength is 507 of which 500 are free of charge.  This enables the candidates familiarization with longitudinal management, chronic illnesses, and administrative as well as forensic aspects of psychiatry.

Emergency and Casualty Services

Casualty and emergency services are accessible round the clock including critical care in a Behavioural Intensive Care Unit (BICU)

Clinical Psychology Section

The candidate will be posted in rotation for exposure to psychotherapy and conduction of various psychological services under supervision.

Psychiatric Social Work Section

Exposure to the psychosocial aspects of mental health care is being given through this section.

Library

A wide range of books, journals and health education materials, audio visual aids are available.  The library is equipped with 2 laptops, 2 computers, LCD projector facilities for presentation of high quality presentations and clinical clubs.  A teleconference room with equipment is also available.

Laboratory Services

Biochemical Lab

ECG

X-Ray

16 Channel EEG facility

Modified ECT in a fully equipped air-conditioned theatre

Teaching Services

Participation in case conferences, seminars, clinical club and bedside teaching, taking lectures for  nursing students, in-house training programmes will be encouraged.

As per DNB guidelines the candidates have to be appraised by external examiners at the end of each semester (every six months) and hence two external exams are being conducted regularly each year. 

Clinical Posting

Clinical posting will being rotation as per the stipulation of the DNB (Psychiatry) training and will including posting in wards, outpatient, de-addiction, community psychiatry, child psychiatry, neurology, internal medicine and clinical psychology (includes postings at Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, SCTIMST, Thiruvananthapuram and NIMHANS, Bangalore).  Annexure attached.

Community Services

Community services are done by the hospital through the District Mental Health Programme in Thiruvananthapuram district.  Information, Education and Communication programmes are conducted by the psychiatrists in the community frequently.  Through the District Mental Health Programme peripheral outreach clinics are conducted at 23 centers in different parts of Thiruvananthapuram district and medicines are supplied regularly.  The total number of patients getting regular medicines from the District Mental Health Programme is about 2500, besides services extended to 2 Asha Bhavans – rehabilitation centers run by the Government of Kerala for men and women respectively.  All this will enable the trainee to know the principle and practices of community psychiatry, epidemiology and planning for supervision of community mental health programmes.

Rehabilitation Services

Extensive vocational rehabilitation units are in operation like bread making, cover making, agriculture, furniture maintenance, soap making, tailoring, chair weaving etc., sheltered workshop and patients libraries and recreation units also function under the supervision of the Occupational Therapist.

Hence this institution offers excellent scope for DNB training in Psychiatry