*23-JAN-2012* * * *K.P.M. Basheer* *Documentary on schizophrenia screened at short-film fest*
*KOCHI *: ‘A Beautiful Mind,' a book by Sylvia Nasar on Nobel Prize-winning U.S. mathematician-economist John Forbes Nash's life and battles with paranoid schizophrenia, opened a world of new hope for those afflicted with schizophrenia. A movie by the same name, with Russel Crowe in the lead, took the message to a wider audience. For those struggling with schizophrenia, John Nash, still continuing his research and his battles with the illness at age 83, is a beacon of promise. His life defied the no-hope-in-the-horizon approach of conventional psychiatry. Now, a young Indian woman, Reshma Valliappan of Bangalore, has proved that again — with a strong will-power, the determination and capacity to engage the ‘demons' of hallucination in a creative way, and the staunch support of parents and friends. She affirms that schizophrenia can be tamed, though not defeated. In A Drop of Sunshine , a 40-minute documentary, Aparna Sanyal tells the story of 30-year-old Reshma in an intimate, hope-instilling way. The documentary was screened at ‘SCRIPT 2012,' the Kochi international short-film festival, which concluded on Saturday. Schizophrenia, according to Brain and Behaviour Research Foundation, ( bbrfoundation.org) “is a severe and debilitating brain and behaviour disorder affecting how one thinks, feels and acts.” People living with schizophrenia “can have trouble distinguishing reality from fantasy, expressing and managing normal emotions, and making decisions. Thought processes may also be disorganised and the motivation to engage in life's activities may be blunted. Those with the condition may hear imaginary voices and believe others are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them.” A little over one per cent of the world population is afflicted with the disorder. In India, those afflicted are simply branded insane, and even chained in some cases. Reshma, an intelligent, rebellious, and very articulate city girl, found herself in the grip of schizophrenia at the age of 22. She woke up one morning complaining of hearing a cacophony of voices giving her commands (hearing ‘voices' are a typical symptom). Then, for years, it had been a ride down the mountain slope. She was put on psychiatric drugs, but the episodes recurred causing huge problems to her and her parents. The ‘demons' kept troubling her through their ‘voices.' Between the episodes, Reshma used to take stock of her situation. And she decided not to succumb to the illness. She read up on schizophrenia, the ‘voices' tried to distract. “I had to read the same page zillions of times to grasp the content, but I stuck to it,” she tells the filmmaker. She also made use of alternative channels of treatment, not just medication. Most importantly, she decided to ‘befriend' the ‘voices.' She listened to them, conversed with them, and turned them into her allies. She even gave names to each one of them. Usually, psychiatrists discourage patients from listening to the ‘voices.' In a crucial turning point, Reshma decided to give colour to her hallucinations and delusions — she took to painting. She made paintings one after the other, with bold but incoherent strokes. Gradually, these works took artistic shapes and started expressing her creative mind. Painting turned out to be one of the treatment options. With exceptional courage, Reshma decided to live on her own and left her parental home. She kept her mind and body busy. Years later, in another unmatched show of determination, she decided to say no to all psychiatric drugs. Psychiatrists the world over never get tired of advising patients to stick to the drug regimen because it is needed to keep the chemical imbalance in the brain in check. Reshma now makes a living out of painting. She has held exhibitions of her works. Painting, not schizophrenia, defines her identity now. As A Drop of Sunshine ended with an energetic Reshma telling how she tamed the ‘demons,' the audience erupted into a long applause, for here was a tale of sheer perseverance and courage told ever so poignantly. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2824178.ece -- 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
