Arjun Munda addresses the seminar in Ranchi on Saturday. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Sept. 24: Culture has a decisive role to play in shaping one’s mental health and with geographical borders diminishing, it is important to learn more about this phenomenon.

At a seminar on trans-cultural psychiatry that is being held in the capital, the aim is to equip doctors involved in the field of behavioural sciences with better knowledge to treat patients.

The two-day seminar, to provide a platform for experts from across the world to share their views on the best practices in psychiatry, was inaugurated today by chief minister Arjun Munda, who stressed on the need of using cultural psychiatry as a tool of social change. The meet has been organised by Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Science (Rinpas).

The meet, which is the second such global seminar being hosted at Rinpas, will see more than 200 delegates from India, the US, UK, Indonesia and Croatia, among others, taking part in, institute director Amool Ranjan Singh claimed.

“Three years ago we had organised a similar programme for identifying psychological tools for treatment of various mental ailments,” Singh said.

Earlier, inaugurating the programme chief minister Munda hailed Rinpas’ efforts for conducting such a seminar.

“Today it is not only physical development of an individual that contributes to his/her good living. Sustainable development can only be achieved with sound physical and mental health. Hence, I hope that during the conference the experts are able to come up with ideas to help the government improve the overall social health of the state,” Munda said.