The National Traditional Medicine Hospital (NTMH) in Thimphu is initiating alternative and aftercare support services for people with mental health issues and substance use disorders. The program, first of its kind, includes wellness and spiritual health services.
Officials from NTMH said until now people with mental health illness and recovering drug and alcohol users undergo detoxification and then some goes to the rehabilitation centres. But after that, the aftercare support services are not available. So, for the first time, the hospital is initiating the wellness and spiritual health services package which is for a month.
Dorji Tshering, the Chief Programme Officer for Local Healing and Spiritual Health Division at the NTMH, says the current practice of availing treatment and rehabilitation programmes by the people with mental health issues and substance use disorders is incomplete. He says, “once they complete the rehabilitation program they go back to the community. We don’t have any aftercare support service as such although we have a support group in the community. But even for them, meeting often with the clients is impossible. So, there is not much support as such.”
In this new program, the clients seeking help will be prescribed with the therapy services and need to come to the hospital daily. The intervention includes mindfulness practice and psychoeducation.
“First is mindfulness and breathing exercise. I think there is lots of evidence as well. So here we have trained instructors and all this mindfulness and breathing exercise is based on Sowa Rigpa. We would like to provide this as part of the treatment to the people with mental illness and as well as drug use disorders and alcohol use disorders. Secondly, we have the Sorig Lujong which is equivalent to Yoga,” he added.
The hospital urges people with mental health issues and substance use disorders to seek aftercare support from the hospital.
According to the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital annual report 2018, there are about 680 psychiatric cases admitted in the hospital. The maximum number was for detoxification for alcohol use disorder.
Tshering Zam
