*2 Jan 2012* *MUMBAI *: In a city that has little time to stand, stare or care, neighbours of a 45-year-old schizophrenic in Borivli (W) have shown how little care and affection can work wonders.
The building's residents stood by the patient even when his family did not and helped him get back to normal life. Ramlal Mehta (name changed) has shown remarkable improvement from the day he had to be rescued by the police and fire department officials from his flat on the second floor of Meenal society in December 2009. Mehta had not opened his door or eaten meals for three consecutive days following which his neighbours the Thadanis informed the cops, who entered his apartment through the window. Mehta was unconscious and was in a serious condition. Cut to present date. Mehta has resumed his administrative job at KEM Hospital. His mother, Hansaben, has returned from her hometown in Gujarat after much persuasion from Mehta's treating doctor Harish Shetty. Hansaben had left her son to take care of himself due to his "violent behaviour". This is when the Thadanis took upon themselves to help Mehta. After he was rescued, the Thadanis took him to an Andheri hospital and later to a rehabilitation centre in Nalasopara. "We never treated Mehta as a mental patient. I was never afraid of him," said Meena Thadani, the mother of two and former mayoral assistant. "We took care of his meals and medicines for the last couple of years," she added. The Thadanis also supported Mehta when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and admitted at the TB Hospital in Sewri for more than six months. Once he recovered, Meena helped Mehta to approach the civic body and explain his health condition. At the same time, she persuaded with the BMC to let him continue with his job. Meena said KEM Hospital officials were supportive of Mehta's condition. Meanwhile, the Thadanis and Dr Shetty persuaded Hansaben to return home to take care of him. "She came down eventually, renovated the house and started taking care of him," said Meena. Hansaben, however, seemed reluctant to talk about Mehta's "troubled years". Mehta claimed that he had recuperated with the help of medication and enjoyed resuming office. "Reintegration of mentally ill patients depends upon the support of employer and compassion from the community," Dr Shetty said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/11331429.cms -- 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
