To enhance rural mental health care through yoga interventions, NIMHANS on Tuesday launched Yoga-based Extension Services (YES) in its ongoing community intervention programmes at Thirthahalli and Turuvekere in Shivamogga and Tumakuru districts respectively.
YES, will be a six-session, once a month face-to-face programme whenever a patient comes to the Primary Health Centre/hospital for a follow-up, for a 30-45 minute duration. Brochures/videos depicting yoga practice with instructions in the local language will be provided to encourage daily practice at home. Indian Council of Medical Research director-general Rajiv Bahl, NIMHANS director Pratima Murthy and National Medical Commission chairperson B.N. Gangadhar launched the YES programme on Tuesday.
“We expect to observe improvement in symptom severity, disability, social cognition, socio-occupational functioning, and well-being over six months, along with delivery and fidelity (support and challenges) of YES,” said Aarti Jagannathan, principal investigator of YES project and additional professor of Psychiatric Social Work at NIMHANS.
Schizophrenia patients
The Community Intervention Psychotic Disorders programme in Thirthahalli was started in June 2005 with research grants under the National Mental Health Programme. Since then, NIMHANS team has been examining clinically relevant research questions among these representative, community-dwelling schizophrenia patients.
In addition to studying this cohort scientifically, the team has also been providing regular clinical services to these underserved patients. “Nearly two-thirds of these patients were out-of-treatment, and our team has provided services to them at their doorsteps – while most receive follow-up care in their nearest primary health centres, a substantial proportion of patients are seen in their homes,” she said.
Till date, 400 schizophrenia patients have been identified and are being treated and followed up regularly. Apart from these, thousands of patients with other neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions are being treated.
The Turuvekere intervention programme was started in December 2009. “Like in Thirthahalli, our team aimed to identify and treat all patients with schizophrenia in the taluk. Till date, 325 patients with schizophrenia have been identified, treated, and are being followed up. The total number of patients with other psychiatric disorders is over 2,000,” the doctor explained.
“Yoga as a culturally appropriate intervention is found to be effective in improving the physical, mental health and well-being of persons with mental disorders in India. We wish to address this important clinical, public health and research gap through YES,” she said.
The event also marked the International Yoga Day 2025 month, as well as for celebrating over 15 years of community mental health service at Tirthahalli and Turuvekere, she added.
Published – June 11, 2025 07:33 am IST
