Shevlin Sebastian 6-APR-2013 Dr Chitra Venkateswaran (centre) with the
nuns of Sneha Bhavan
The Mehac Foundation has tied up with the institution to help those suffering
from severe mental illness
KOCHI : At the Sneha Bhavan in Kalavoor, in Alleppey district, the only sound
is of sparrows chirping interrupted now and then by the cawing of a crow. The
world seems at peace but inside, in a room, an inmate is banging her head
against a door.
“She is suffering from schizophrenia,” says Sr. Mary Caroline, the Mother in
Charge. The Bhavan is a house for mentally ill women. “There are 29 inmates,”
says Sr. Mary. They range in age from 20 to 85.
Asked why the home was established in 2010, Sr. Caroline says, “We wanted to
do something for people who are rejected by society because of their mental
illness.” The majority of the inmates come from poor families. “They suffer
from schizophrenia and bi-polar mood disorders,” says Dr Chitra Venkateswaran,
the clinical director of Mehac (Mental Health Care and Research) Foundation,
which has a tie-up with Sneha Bhavan.
One effect of a severe mental illness is that the patients lose their zest for
life. “Many of them just don’t want to do anything,” says Sr. Caroline. “They
eat and sleep all the time. Some live in the past and suffer from
hallucinations. Sometimes, they become violent and throw things at us.”
It is then that the nuns place the woman in a room and lock the door. “When an
inmate becomes uncontrollable, we will call Dr Chitra on the phone and she will
suggest the appropriate medication, says Sr. Caroline. “That brings relief to
the patient.”
Asked for the reasons for their mental illness, Sr. Caroline says, “Sometimes,
it is the family environment. Or it could be because of hereditary reasons.
Some women have had fits in their childhood which has damaged their brains.
There are some who are the victims of sexual abuse. There was one girl who went
to work in a house as a servant and the master exploited her. And she became
mentally disturbed.”
Usually mental illness is triggered off by biological factors. “So, we provide
drugs which redresses this, although if the mental illness is severe a full
cure may be difficult,” says Dr. Chitra.
But there have been some good incidents. When Dr. Chitra saw Rajan Varghese
(name changed) at a home in Mararikulam, he was chained. There was a metal
bucket in the room which was used for morning ablutions. Rajan was suffering
from a severe psychosis and was being looked after by his brother, Peter, and
wife because Rajan’s family had abandoned him.
“One reason he was chained was because he would run outside and throw himself
into a nearby pond,” says Dr. Chitra. Peter was a fisherman, who left for work
early in the morning and came back late. “When I met Rajan for the first time,
he was talking nonsense,” says Dr. Chitra. “With the help of some volunteers, I
decided to do away with the chain.” Then the medications began. Soon, the
symptoms began to lessen. Later, Rajan was shifted to Maria Sadan, in Alleppey,
which is a home for the mentally disturbed.
“He stayed there for five months and his symptoms went down to a great extent,”
says Dr. Chitra. In April, 2012, he returned to live with Peter once again.
They don’t chain him any more. “He has not yet returned to a normal thought
process but has learnt to have a shave and a bath on his own,” says Dr. Chitra.
“Nowadays, when I meet him, he offers me tea. So, this is an example of
medicines helping to improve a person’s mind.” Like Rajan, to enable a
similar assimilation back to society, the inmates at Sneha Bhavan are taught
skills like making coir ropes. “Some of them also make the host, which is used
in the Holy Communion at mass in the churches,” says Sr. Caroline. In order to
help the vulnerable sections of society, the Mehac Foundation was set up in
December, 2008 (see box).
Unfortunately, the stigma of mental illness runs deep in Indian society. “In
one village, there were a couple of members in one family who were suffering
from mental illness,” says Dr. Chitra. “Unfortunately, the other families
ostracised them and the family was left to fend on its own.”
Even among the affluent classes, there is a trauma of being isolated. “I know
of families who refuse to treat their relatives who are ill because of the fear
that society will come to know,” says Dr. Chitra. “As a result, the illness
becomes even more severe.”
Usually, around 1 to 2 per cent of the population suffer from severe mental
disorders like schizophrenia, while a significant number has depression and
anxiety disorders. “It is important people understand that mental illness is
like any other disease,” says Dr. Chitra. “A person can be cured if the proper
medication and advice can be given at the right time.”
http://newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/article1532236.ece#
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