Dr. Debasmita Psychiatrist

In this era of technological advances, Gen Y’s idea of socialization has changed radically. Texting and posting on social media is the modern substitute for hanging out with friends and peers. Technically, it has increased our realm of socialization so that geographical boundaries do not matter anymore. But what is the ground reality? Internet addiction is one of the commonest complaints put forward by parents of teenage kids. Another common complaint is disinterest in socializing in the real world. Youth today are like isolated islands, glued to their i- pad, i-pod and all kinds of intelligent gadgets, lost in the   virtual world. This has not only affected their real life communication skills, it has also wreaked havoc in their academic careers by serving as a major source of distraction. Millennials are turning to psychiatrists , psychologists and grooming experts frequently to improve their public relation skills, overcome social anxiety and cope with ‘workplace stress and ha...

As the city awakens to the challenges of addiction, numerous families are typing best treatment for addiction in Kolkata into the search engine. The good news is that the awareness regarding need for proper treatment is increasing. The bad news is people still harbour many misconceptions regarding addiction and its treatment process. At the outset it is important to understand that addiction is not simply a bad habit but a recognised disorder that needs medical attention. Common addictions among the dwellers of Kolkata are tobacco, ganja, alcohol, sleeping pills, pain medications and heroin. In many cases the patient himself/herself realises the problem and seeks treatment. But in a majority of cases it is the family members who insist the patient take treatment. A general myth that most people harbour is that addiction can be overcome by taking over the counter magic pills that can be administered without the patient’s knowledge. Not only are they ineffective in the long run, it is ...

As we struggle to keep up with a fast-moving world, the number of people suffering from loneliness, depression and suicidal thoughts has gone up. Family members and well-wishers are often at their wits end when dealing with loved ones who have recurrent suicidal thoughts. Today’s article takes a look into the mind of a suicidal person and ways to deal with it. Suicide attempts may be broadly classified as impulsive and pre-meditated. Impulsive attempts at self-harming are spur-of-the moment decisions. They usually occur immediately after a rejection, setback or argument. The ones to attempt such rash acts usually display streaks of impulsivity in all domains of their personality. They often have intense mood swings, sudden anger outbursts, addiction issues, relationship problems and trouble keeping a steady job. It is the volatility in their personality that is the root cause of all problems. In their case, it is a more holistic approach that we take to healing. Once we are able to...

ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is receiving a lot of attention from worried parents and teachers nowadays. With parents struggling to balance the work-family dilemma in nuclear families, children suffering from this disorder are difficult to manage. This article is a simplified overview of what constitutes the disorder and the best treatment for ADHD. As the name implies, ADHD constitutes of two primary symptoms – attention deficit and hyperactivity. Added to these is the symptom of impulsivity. A child may show features of only inattention or predominantly hyperactivity or both. This means, the typical complaints from school would be that the child refuses to sit still in class, disturbs other students, often gets into fights with others and rarely finishes his/her schoolwork. If we observe their class notes or examination papers, a typical pattern is seen. They start off alright and the first few sentences are properly written. Thereafter the problem begins. As th...

All of us have elderly family members who are suffering from memory loss. With advancing years, the memory dysfunction with its associated problems becomes quite unmanageable. Your general physician probably advised you to visit a psychiatrist for managing such cases. Before you type best psychiatrist in Kolkata into the search engine, we recommend you read up on memory loss and its treatment methods. This article is a short overview of the dangerous disease that is dementia from a psychiatrist’s point of view. The cause With age, the brain begins to atrophy (simply put, wither away). It is a natural process. However, which part of the brain withers more and how fast varies from individual to individual. Depending on these parameters, the manifestation of the disease varies. Symptoms Most people become forgetful initially. They misplace items of daily use quite often. They find it difficult to find their way back home when they venture out of their immediate neighborhood. As th...

We all get angry from time to time. Some of us more than the others. But few of us cannot control the anger. This article gives an insight into uncontrolled anger and the best therapy for anger management. Whenever things do not go the way we want them to, it is but natural to get angry. That is what most of us believe. It is a basic emotion. The question is what do we do when we are angry. There are two categories of people – ·         Those for whom the anger is directed outwards. They get openly destructive, abusive or aggressive. Their relationships quite naturally suffer a lot. ·         Those for whom the anger is self-directed. They end up hurting themselves, physically and emotionally. Let us consider the first category. Why do they act the way they do? If you were to ask them retrospectively, most of them regret having acted the way they did when they were angry. However, they will tell you at that mo...