The Street As The Home And The Sky As The Roof
The Homeless
With mental health awareness, we can become powerful agents of change in improving the condition of mental health in India.
In February 2013, Mrs . Johnson and her children were rescued by Udavum Karangal. The family had been living in a pathetic condition inside a dilapidated godown for 16 years. The parents were both professors from reputed colleges. The mother was mentally ill. Of the 4 children, 3 were suffering from mental disorders and 1 child was mentally challenged. Over the years, the father died of starvation .The rest of the family just survived like rats gradually sinking in psychosis.
Among the elderly Alzheimer’s is the most common form of severe mental disorder.
Uadvaum Karangal , a Refuge for the Distressed Mother and her child , homeless, lost in the big city.
The Gap Between The Need
and What is Available
The problem is so immense that it cannot be handled by NGOs alone. The Indian Government has recognized the gravity of the situation. India’s first Mental Health Policy was launched in October 2014 and it is hoped that the out-come would be an improvement on the present situation:
- Mental Health expenditure at present is about 0.83 % of the total Health budget.
- There is 1 Psychiatrist for 100,000 people. For the whole country there are about 4000 Psychiatrists, 3000 Psychiatric Social Workers and 10000 psychologists. Only 1050 seats are set aside in colleges for Mental Health professionals.
- India’s latest Mental Health Policy was passed in March 2017. It is hoped it brings a much needed change to the present situation.
- There is no Insurance coverage for a person with mental disorder.
- Mental Health Literacy / Awareness is low. There is misinformation leading to stigma. This prevents individuals and families from seeking appropriate help.
Importance Of
Creating Awareness
Superstition and stigma are the result of poverty and ignorance .Mental Health Literacy /awareness is a top priority in helping the mentally ill and their family. With mental health awareness we can become powerful agents of change and can hold medical professionals, Govts. and policy makers to account in improving the condition of mental health in India.
This is where PARIVARTAN a project of Udavum Karangal which creates awareness and takes psychiatry to the door- step of the rural poor, has an important role to play.
The Destitute Mentally Ill
Mental illness could affect anyone, the rich, poor, the intellectual or the uneducated. If neglected or untreated it could reduce the person to pathetic inhuman conditions. With a disorder in thought, perception, orientation and memory affecting their over-all functioning, cognition and behavior, the mentally ill person can wander away and end up on the street.
Case Of A Highly Educated Person Who Became A Mentally Ill Destitute
Mrs . Johnson Family
In February 2013, Mrs.Johnson and her children were rescued by Udavum Karangal. The family had been living in a pathetic condition inside a dilapidated godown for 16 years. The parents were both professors from reputed colleges. The mother was mentally ill. Of the 4 children, 3 were suffering from mental disorders and 1 child was mentally challenged. Over the years, the father died of starvation .The rest of the family just survived like rats gradually sinking in psychosis.
The Street As The Home And The Sky As The Roof.
THE HOMELESS
Most of us take a home for granted without giving a thought to the 78 million homeless people in India. Women, children, the old and the mentally ill form a large part of this population. Poverty, domestic violence, mental illness are only some of the reasons why there is a large population of destitute people. Without the roof and 4 walls they are not only exposed to the sun, wind and rain but also to the unbelievable evil in human nature- sexual abuse,trafficking and accidents.
Exploitation of Mentally ill
Around 40% of the homeless people in India are mentally ill. How did they end up on streets far from their home?
- Sometimes they are put on a train on a one- way trip with no destination. Strange place and language. They are too bewildered to beg and they even starve to death.
- Trucks that go north with goods can transport an unwanted mentally ill person far from his / her family to another end of the country. The driver makes some money and if it is a woman passenger, he rapes her and perhaps makes extra money by supplying her to other truck drivers. The woman becomes a victim of HIV, and other diseases which are likely to be passed on to the children born to her.
- Accidents on the highway bring a tragic end to mentally ill people dropped off by trucks in God- forsaken places.
- Destitute mentally ill men are exploited for their organs. They wander on the road, caked in dirt, with matted hair, starving because they can’t even beg and often with wounds and fractured limbs. They neither get the required medical attention nor the human compassion.
For more information and help for mental illness, please
contact:
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences(NIMHANS)
Hosur Road, Lakkasandra, Bengaluru 560029. phone 080-26995200
For more information on Govt. Acts and Policies and directory of institutions contact:
National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped
Manovikas Nagar, Secundreabad, 500009, T.S
Ph.0914027751741-45
National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities
East Coast Road, Muthukadu, Kovalam Post, Chennai 603112. ph. 044-27472113
Commissioner for the Differently-abled
Jawaharlal Nehru Inner Ring Road, KK Nagar. Chennai600007
Ph. 044-24719946.
