Govt nod to mental health institution

Lakhs of patients who have been cured of mental illness can now look forward for systematic rehabilitation and professional counseling as the Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the first-of-its-kind much-awaited Rs 200-crore National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) in Bhopal.

The institute, to be set up under the aegis of the Union Social Welfare Ministry, aims to provide rehabilitation services to the persons with mental illness, capacity development in the area of mental health rehabilitation, policy framing and advanced research in the sector.

The need for such a centre of excellence had long been felt because though there are dedicated specialised national institutes for each disability — visually handicapped, hearing, physically handicapped, mentally handicapped and multiple disabilities — in the country, there is none for the rehabilitation of the mentally-ill cured people.

This despite, the fact that in India, as of March 2017, an estimated 10,000 people treated for mental illnesses and fit to rejoin society continue to stay in institutions, according to the findings of a Supreme Court-mandated committee. This means that they have nowhere to go even after treatment.

Dr Smita N Deshpande, Professor & Head of Department of Psychiatry, Centre of Excellence in Mental Health, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital pointed out that there are several mentally ill  patients who have been cured well and can be successfully rehabilitated. “But in the absence of any rehabilitation facilities and lack of professional direction in their life, patients people who have completed their treatment courses and declared fit for discharge often get stuck in the condition.”

According to the WHO, not only 56 million Indians suffer from depression at this moment, another 38 millions are in the grip of anxiety disorders that require expert intervention.

The setting up of the institute also holds importance in view of a serious shortage of rehabilitation services and facilities in the country.  Also, there is an acute shortage of mental health professionals who are limited in providing only curative approaches without due care to rehabilitation.