NOIDA, India | 29 October 2026 — Ms. Snehal Arvind Silekar, Program Head at MediCOLL Learning Private Limited, spoke with Dr. Pavitra Shankar in a podcast on child and adolescent mental health. Dr. Shankar is an MD (Psychiatry) from Lady Hardinge Medical College, Delhi, a TEDx speaker, and a mental health educator who received the Prof. J.K. Trivedi Award for Rising Star in Psychiatry (2024) and the Dr. Saadgi Jagawat Memorial Award (2023). The episode covered common misconceptions about psychiatry and the challenges facing medical education in India.

The podcast, titled The Truth About Child Psychiatry NO ONE Talks About | MediCOLL X Dr Pavitra Shankar, was published on 5 May 2026. It explores the complexities of child psychiatry and highlights why healthcare professionals need structured clinical training to recognise mental health issues in children and adolescents.
Clinical guidelines and research in the field of medicine are constantly evolving, and the issues raised in the episode show why doctors in practice need continuing medical education to keep pace with these changes in their patient care. MediCOLL Learning provides educational opportunities through fellowships and short-term courses for healthcare professionals to acquire specialised knowledge and skills.

Dr. Shankar addressed several misconceptions about psychiatric care. One was that psychiatrists prescribe medication at the first visit and that medication is lifelong, once started. She noted that clinicians should communicate clearly with patients, explain the condition in simple terms and base decisions on each patient’s individual needs. On the role of heredity in mental illness, she explained that a family history may be associated with a condition but does not establish that it is entirely genetic.

The discussion also covered the part played by schools, teachers and families. Dr. Shankar said that a child’s emotional, social and cognitive development is shaped across several settings. Teachers and caregivers who are better informed are more likely to recognise early warning signs, so that assessment and intervention can begin sooner.

Further in the podcast, Dr. Shankar pointed to gaps in medical training in counselling, patient interviews and communicating difficult information. She emphasised the value of supervised, skills-based learning for professionals who work with people experiencing mental health concerns. Case-based learning in child and adolescent mental health was another key topic of the podcast.

The training gaps discussed above highlight the need for medical education that includes not only theoretical knowledge but also clinical reasoning, patient communication and case-oriented learning. Such approaches can help healthcare professionals to develop the clinical skills required to approach complicated patient situations with greater confidence and make informed decisions.

MediCOLL Learning contributes to the continuing professional development of healthcare professionals through fellowships and short-term courses led by subject-matter experts, with the aim of improving the care that patients receive. The episode brought attention to effective patient communication and skills-based education, both of which matter in the diagnosis and management of mental health concerns.

About MediCOLL Learning Private Limited

MediCOLL Learning Private Limited provides educational programmes such as fellowships and short-term courses for healthcare professionals who are seeking to strengthen their clinical knowledge and professional competencies. The courses focus on connecting medical knowledge with clinical practice through structured learning from subject-matter experts.
By facilitating access to specialised medical education, MediCOLL Learning aims to support the continuing professional development of healthcare professionals. For more information about its programmes and initiatives, visit the official website at https://medicoll.org/

Watch the Podcast

The Truth About Child Psychiatry NO ONE Talks About | MediCOLL X Dr Pavitra Shankar, available on the MediCOLL Learning YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/-VpeUdzCsDI?si=5fkq0PJMubKAv8_e

Media Contact

Ms. Snehal Arvind Silekar
Program Head
MediCOLL Learning Private Limited
[email protected] | (+91) 84483 94994