‘Psycho or Siko’ is the pen name of Prof. Eledath Mohamed who is a well known Clinical Psychologist from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. He is one of the founding members o
Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists (IACP)
and was the national president of IACP from 2000 to 2003. He is the first clinical psychologist hailing from Kerala. He is also the first psychologist (1960) to start a weekly column ‘Your Psychological Problems’ in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

in the prestigious newspaper

Mathrubhumi ''Mathrubhumi'' is a Malayalam newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. It was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian freedom struggle against the British. The word "Mathrubhumi" translates to 'mother land'. ...

. The weekly column was published from 1960 to 1975. He has published about 20 research papers, including in

British Journal of Psychiatry The ''British Journal of Psychiatry'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering all branches of psychiatry with a particular emphasis on the clinical aspects of each topic. The journal is owned by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and publ ...

and

Epilepsia Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

, many of them were presented in international conferences. He is the author of 6 books and several articles and essays in various magazines and newspapers. The topics of his writing pertained to travelogues and psychological subjects. He has appeared and been interviewed by television networks and online news outlets for his psychological expertise. The story for the award winning (1976 Kerala state and

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of seve ...

) Swapnadanam, KG George's first film, was written by Eledath Mohamed.

Early years

Mohamed was born in 1935 in

Marancheri Maranchery is a census town within the circle of Ponnani taluk, Malappuram district, in the Indian state of Kerala. Geography This village is surrounded by the Biyyam Kaayal, a backwater associated with the Naranipuzha River, on one side a ...

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of including the surrounding suburban areas. The first municipality in the district formed in 1970, Malappuram serves as the administrative headquarter ...

district in

to Ahmedunni Haji and Mariakutty. His father was an Arabic scholar and a highly respected religious teacher who died when Mohamed was only 3 months old. When his mother re-married, he was looked after by his uncle and maternal grandmother. His great uncle was E. Moidu Moulavi, a freedom fighter from the Eledath family. From ages 10 to 14, he studied in an orphanage. In addition to the regular school classes, he also attended religious classes. During these early years he was exposed to the many literary books where he first got interested in writing and passionately participated in school debates.

Education

He studied in Elementary School, Panampad, Tirurangadi Muslim Orphanage, M.I. High School Ponnani, and

Farook College Farook College is a government-aided, autonomous, arts and science college located in Feroke near Calicut, Kerala, India. It is the largest residential post-graduate aided institution in Kerala affiliated to the University of Calicut; it was ...

, Calicut. He obtained his Master's degree in Psychology from Presidency College,

Madras University The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

in 1958. He obtained DM & SP (Diploma in Medical & Social Psychology) from

NIMHANS The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences is a medical institution in Bangalore, India. NIMHANS is the apex centre for mental health and neuroscience education in the country. It is an Institute of National Importance operates ...

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

in 1962.

Professional career

* Assistant Research Officer,

ICMR The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. The ICMR is funded by the Gove ...

Project,

, Bangalore, India from 1962 to 1963. * Clinical Psychologist
Command Hospital, Pune
India from 1963 to 1975. * Faculty member,

Armed Forces Medical College, Pune upright=1.1, AFMC main building The Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) is a leading medical training institute in Pune, India, in the state of Maharashtra. The college is managed by the Indian Armed Forces. Established in May 1948 as a po ...

, India 1963 to 1975. * Faculty member
Mosul Medical College
Mosul University Iraq 1975 to 1978. * Faculty member
Al Arab Medical University, Benghazi
Libya 1978 to 1993. * Director
Ansar Hospital
& Allied Medical Institutions, Perumpilavu, Kerala, India from 1994 to 2015. * Director
Ansar Institute
of Mental Health, Perumpilavu, Kerala, India since 2015.

Honours

* Founder member o
Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists
(IACP). * National President o
IACP
(2000 to 2003). * Member of Expert Group on Clinical Psychology,

Rehabilitation Council of India The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) is the apex government body, set up under an Act of Parliament, to regulate training programmes and courses targeted at disabled, disadvantaged, and special education requirement communities. It is the onl ...

(2000 to 2003). * Member
Kerala State Mental Health Authority
from 2001 to 2004. * Presiden
IACP
Kerala Region 1997. * Member of WHO Expert Group, Organizing Libya Mental Health Service (1980) * Founder member of Kerala Sastra Samidi (1963), the parental body of Kerala Sastra Sahithya Parishath. * Created the story for the

(1976), Swapnadanam .

Books

* Your Children (നിങ്ങളുടെ കുട്ടികൾ), National Book Stall, Kottayam, Kerala, India (1965). * An IQ Test for You (നിങ്ങൾക്കായി ഒരു ബുദ്ധി പരീക്ഷ), National Book Stall, Kottayam, Kerala, India (1966). * On The Banks Of Euphrates & Tigris (യൂഫ്രട്ടീസ് ടൈഗ്രിസിന്റെ തീരത്ത്), National Book Stall, Kottayam, Kerala, India (1978). * Mental Health and Well Being, Chapter in the book ‘Kerala’s Demographic Future, Issues & Policy Options’, Editors
S. Irudaya Rajan

K. C. ZachariaAcademic Foundation, New Delhi
(2012). * In Saddam’s Land (സദ്ദാമിന്റെ നാട്ടിൽ), Green Books, Thrissur, Kerala, India (2019). * Gaddhafi’s Libya (ഗദ്ദാഫിയുടെ ലിബിയ), Green Books, Thrissur, Kerala, India (2019). * A Past Syrian Trip (ഒരു ഭൂതകാല സിറിയന്‍ യാത്ര), Green Books, Thrissur, Kerala, India (2019).

Research publications

Over 20 publications, which include the following: * Psychosocial Background of Servicemen Contracting Venereal Diseases; International Review of the Army, Navy and Air Force Medical Services (1967). * One Hundred Cases of Hysteria in Eastern Libya;

(1986). * Prevalence, Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Epilepsy in Kerala, South India;

(2000). * Migration and Mental Health Survey in all 14 districts of Kerala. Jointly done wit
Dr. S. Irudaya Rajan

CDS The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...

Thiruvananthapuram and Institute of Social Science Trust, New Delhi (2002).

References

Malayalam-language writers Malayali people Indian psychologists {{Psychologist-stub