Hi all, I am forwarding my mail which I sent to Mental health professionals for your information.
----- Forwarded Message ----- > >Sent: Tuesday, 1 March 2011 4:20 PM >Subject: Mental Illness and Disabled due to Mental illness /Any difference? > > > > >Dear Mental Health Professionals, > All of you are aware about the consultations, meetings going on to amend > the existing law >dealing with Mental illness which is called THE MENTAL HEALTH ACT 1987 which >used to > deal only >with admission,treatment,stay and discharge of Mentally ill patients. You >must be also >aware of the same type of consultations , seminars, meetings going on to amend >the existing " THE PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ACT 1995" into a new law called >"THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ACT , 2011" which deals with All >disabilities >including "THE DISABLED DUE TO MENTAL ILLNESS". > Some of the parents who have disabled children due to mental illness (as > per IDEAS > SCALE) >were demanding inclusion of disabled due to Mental illness in the National >Trust act 1998 as per the >directive issued by the Supreme court in the Erawadi case in the year 2002 as >this is the only act >which answers the question " > What will happen to my child when I am no more?" in the form of GHARAUNDA >scheme, link is below > > http://www.thenationaltrust.co.in/nt/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=107&Itemid=164 >The > Parents and carers of those Disabilities who are Governing the National trust > are naturally opposed to >inclusion of Disabled due to Mental illness. The argument is given below is of >Mr.JP Gadkari who is not only a member of >Central coordination comittee in the PWDEA act 1995 but also a member of the >committee of 33 under >Dr.Sudha Kaul which was tasked to produce the "The Rights of Persons with >Disabilities act 2011". > "For the last five years or so mental illness lobby have been actively > pursuading a demand that mental illness should be covered by the National > Trust Act though there is a separate legislation called the Mental Health > [MH] Act of 1987 in existence. " > "One has to take a serious note of the fact that mental illness with its > very nomenclature is an illness - a disease and it cannot be termed as a > disability. This illness can be cured with medication and probably a > prolonged treatment. What these persons need is rehabilitation measures once > they are cured. These provisions are there in the MH Act and also in the PD > Act 1995. There is absolutely no justification of their demand for inclusion > under the NT Act." (Mr.Gadkari, of > PARIWAR) > In the "Statements of Objects and Reasons", the draft law of Feb 2011 > states "---it is proposed to replace the current >disability legislations with a comprehensive law which recognized all rights >of all persons with >disabilities".Many amongst you may think that "disability legislations" means >1. Persons with Disabilities Equal opportunities act 1995 >2.Rehabilitation council act > 1992 >3.The national Trust act 1998. >All above are governed by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment > But As per the Disability rights activists it includes also "The Mental > Health act 1987." and one can see from the link >below the views of eminent persons in the disability sector including Dr.Achal >Bhagat., a leading Psychiatrist. > http://www.mhrg.org/Sign-The-Petition.aspx >The views of Ms.Bhargavi Dawar one of the 33 in the committee to draft the new >law of 2011 is below.. > http://dnis.org/features.php?issue_id=2&volume_id=8&features_id=180 > > The PWDEA act 1995 was passed in the year 1996. But the Indian > Psychiatrists Society , slept over the >demand of parents who have disabled children due to Mental illness to evolve a >scale immediately though >they had WHODDAS scale available as model.It is the Erawadi tragedy after 7 >years which woke them up and IDEAS SCALE >was adopted by the Government. Half way homes, Day care centres, Long stay >homes, respite homes are not >available even in capital city Delhi what to talk of other urban centres. > Now even after IDEAS SCALE is enacted, the number of certificates issued > is few hundreds!!If 2% of counry's >population suffers from Mental illness and 1% severe illness, then the scale >of problem is visible.But then some of >the Mental Health professional of India are saying " Mental illness" is >curable (Not claimed by even developed >western nations) and it is just like Diabetes and one can function with daily >dosage of pills! No disability at all >as it is curable!!Then why mentally ill are abandoned by families in >streets?The following homeless mentally ill >do not even know how to beg, thank those who offer alms and just eat their own >shit. > http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/01/cnnheroes.krishnan.hunger/ >These people have no address proof,no ration card, no disability card and so >not counted. There is going to be >turf war between the Ministry of Social justice and Ministry of Health. as the >new draft of Mental health >Act wants all > rehabilitation institutions who look after the disabled also should be under > the purview of the > Mental Health act. The bureaucrats who run the RCI didnot >1)conduct NSS survey to find the number of Disabled due to mental illness as >ordained by law. >2)Didnot start an Institution to train professionals for rehabilitation nor it >trained the families as ordained by law. >3)The sleeping "human rights organisation called National Legal services >Authority also claims that >Mental illness is "curable" and has opened a centre at NIMHANS in 2011!!! > This confusion > suits the bureaucrats who rule the Ministry of Social Justice and my only > prayer to all of you >is to clarify >1Is there a difference between "mentally ill and "disabled due to mental >illness? >2. Is "mental illness' curable? >3.Does the Mental health act 1987 should be part of new Disability rights law >of 2011? > The consultations about the Feb draft of the new rights law closes on 10th > march 2011. > With kind regards > >"Greatness lies not in never falling but in rising everytime we fall" >Captain Johann samuhanand, BANGALORE INDIA >91 80 42023252 >www.captainjohann.blogspot.com > > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. 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