From: Vandana Gopikumar <[email protected]> Date: 25 January 2012 09:37
Dear members of various MH groups/ fora, ( Vaishi, please circulate to other groups) This is a very disturbing trend that I have observing for a while. I feel that we should take this up very seriously. While it is essential that care be offer red in a humane , kind manner to everyone in need; the urgency and suddenness with which many people with mental health issues are being ' rounded up' is inhuman and so very wrong. Once many of these people are admitted into hospitals, homes, those who refer them ( many times with good intent) , move on with their lives while those rescued are trapped in institutions that aren't prepared to deal with the many issues that they may present. This I say out of personal experience of working in a Mental Hospital in a collaborative programme ( for four years) and out of visiting many Beggars homes and hospitals across the country. The needs of homeless people with mental health issues is a very complex problem and needs to be addressed in depth, with patience and care. I have worked with many such people in the past twenty years and have lived with them for 8 years in the same premises and understand how every move, action, intervention has to be planned and implemented graciously , understanding the in equal nature of transaction. Rescuing them from the streets is only the first step, what next is the big question that many of us choose to ignore or don't address with the intensity that it calls for. ( including The Banyan at times.) The Banyan/ BALM with Koshish ( TISS) , Dr. Kishore Kumar ( NIMHANS), Sir Ratan Tata Trust , Ashadeep, Karuna Trust, Anjali ,Harsh Mander and many other such stakeholders are thinking of various options of how this issue can be tackled. It needs quite some understanding and thinking through. We need to be prepared to not have quick fix solutions to many issues. But that doesn't mean that we don't use the experience that we already have and take small steps, one at a time to find sustainable solutions. This will not just help solve the problems of people with MH issues who are homeless, but have larger impact on the way in which Mental Hospitals are run. Much more than traditional packages and recommendations that we churn out so easily, I think the answer is in detailed protocolisation on the one hand, and deep sensitisation on the other. Culture, values, ethos etc. will determine how much we stretch to solve problems, how honestly we respond, how we don't run away from tough spaces, how we practise the principle of unconditionality etc. This approach will then influence how society responds and in that lies the answer to such issues. We are ( professionals, CSOs, Activists, Grassroots workers etc ) part of the same society after all. vandana On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 9:46 PM, Vaishnavi Jayakumar < [email protected]> wrote: *Nagpur *: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Monday asked the state > government and police department to explore the possibility of roping in > Charlie commandoes to locate mentally challenged persons found wandering on > the streets and admit them at rehabilitation homes. > > The court's orders came after petitioner Raghvendra Joshi, a lawyer, > appealed to the judges in this regard and also pleaded for awarding > compensation to these commandoes. The court then asked the government to > reply in four weeks. > > During the last hearing, the court had directed the city police > commissioner to frame a scheme for proper care and rehabilitation of > mentally challenged persons wandering on the city streets. > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Court-embargo-on-Agneepath-song/articleshow/11610204.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
