*8 September 2011* Nagaur <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagaur> : Two mentally-ill men here have been kept in chains for years as their kin are unable to afford their treatment, even as the state government's assurances of help have not yielded any results, a family member said Thursday.
Manaram, 45, a resident of Akla village in Nagaur district, some 250 km from Jaipur, and his brother’s grandson Chenaram, 15, are kept tied to two separate beds. "We started to keep Manaram in chains after he developed some mental illness about 15 years ago and became violent and hysteric. He started throwing stones at neighbours. It became the cause of frequent quarrels with other villagers, so we were compelled to keep him tied," his brother Khiyaram told IANS over phone. He said he could not afford proper treatment for his brother. "I am a labourer and hardly earn Rs.100 a day," he added. The family's troubles were compounded when Khiyaram’s son Chenaram too started showing the same symptoms when he was around 10 years old. When both of them become violent, the family members give them sleeping pills to calm them down. Khiyaram said efforts to get help from authorities have proved futile. "I have taken both of them to senior officials in the administration and sought help. The officials assured me of including us in the below poverty line (BPL) category and providing help under various government schemes, but nothing has happened so far," he said. In the absence of proper treatment, the family has taken the duo to various quacks and witch doctors.“But this too has not helped,” Khiyaram added. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/189473/rajasthan-family-keeps-two-mentally.html -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
