“My own mind brutalizes me frequently. I am not a victim. I am in hell….I try to remember a time before, when I walked a path less cumbersome; I cannot.”

The Indian Scenario of Mental Illness:

It has been estimated that there are 400-500 lakh people in India who are the victims of some form of Mental illness such as Schizophrenia, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety and Bi-Polar Mood Disorder. Another knowledgeable estimate says that about 2-5% of India's population suffers some form of mental or behavioral disorder and around 1% has a serious form of mental disorder requiring urgent care at any one point of time. Many are in the community under the care of their family members or are admitted to specialized medical institutions for care. Others who are not so fortunate are denied medical care due to reasons like superstitions, economic backwardness, and social stigma and therefore are abandoned near temples or just driven out into the streets.
Therefore, there are around 4, 00,000 wandering mentally ill persons in India. The wandering mentally ill belong mainly to economically backward and socially marginalized families. They are often seen, in various states of mental distress and physical abuse, around railway stations, bus stands, pilgrim centres and on street corners. Nine out of 10 wandering mentally ill persons have diagnosable and treatable mental disorders; four out of five have significant co-morbid physical health problems. The stigma and economic burden of mental illness are the main reasons why it is so poorly treated. The wandering mentally ill lack basic physical care. They are vulnerable to all kinds of abuse, including sexual abuse. They suffer from serious health complications such as tuberculosis and AIDS.

The Situation in Kanyakumari District:

Kanyakumari district has its own share of those afflicted by various mental illnesses.  Moreover, due to its number of renowned temples and the renown of Kanyakumari as a holy place, there exists an unfounded reputation elsewhere in India, that mentally ill persons would be cured just by breathing the holy air of Kanyakumari. It is also felt that due to the large number of tourists, food and alms would not be scarce. The mentally ill are therefore brought here from other districts and states and abandoned, or just bundled onto a train destined for Kanyakumari. In addition to the obvious suffering of the abandoned mentally ill persons, many problems were faced by the public also such as people being accosted for alms, school children being frightened, eatables and filthy cloth being strewn around on streets and mentally ill persons wandering onto highways posing a grave hazard to motorists. More seriously, two murders were recently committed in the district due to mental illness.

About CHARDEP and its Intervention Prior to This Programme:

Centre for Human Resource and Rural Developmental Programmes (CHARDEP), is a medium sized NGO in Kanyakumari District, which is the southernmost tip of the Indian peninsula. CHARDEP was founded in 1998 and registered as a Trust in the same year by a group of social activists who had committed themselves to work for the development of society. Since then, the organization has worked with the marginalized and rural communities throughout the district of Kanyakumari.

The mission statement of CHARDEP specifies that one of its objectives is “to provide shelter and care for the aged, for destitute women, and the mentally ill.” In keeping with this objective, the organization has over the past three years rescued twelve persons showing signs of severe morbidity and admitted them to the Government Medical College Hospital in the district.

THE PROGRAMME:

The Plan:
The District Administration headed by The Collector Tmt. B. Jothi Nirmala, I.A.S., wanted a permanent solution to the problem posed by the increasing number of wandering mentally ill persons on the streets. It was planned to rescue the wandering mentally ill who had been separated from and/or neglected by their families and commit them to medical care. The programme was to be implemented by the Police Force headed by the Superintendent of Police Shri.Santosh Kumar, I.P.S., and assisted by the Deputy Superintendent of Police Shri.Chandra Paul.

Reasons for Involving CHARDEP
The District Collector had planned the programme in minute detail. CHARDEP was invited to voluntarily assist the rescue programme primarily because of the following reasons:-

• The mentally ill persons would need immediate attention and hence an NGO would be ideal for providing the needed assistance

• As they were living on the streets, the mentally ill persons were accustomed to seeing policemen in a role of law enforcers. Being gathered by them would be a disturbing experience for them. A gentle person in civilian clothes could make a lot of difference.

• The public, not knowing the reason, would naturally be disheartened on seeing police taking them into custody as the mentally ill are naturally viewed upon with sympathy. Having persons recognizable as from a service organization would put things in an entirely different light.

• The mentally ill persons would need expert and gentle care if they had to be taken for a long journey to a medical institution.

• CHARDEP had already proven its recognition of the problem and its willingness to act on its own volition and using its own resources on several occasions.  

On being invited to voluntarily involve in the programme by the P.A (Planning & Development) to the District Collector, Mr.Vijayakumar, CHARDEP immediately expressed its willingness and moreover undertook to provide the necessary food, fresh clothes and manpower needed till the mentally ill were committed to medical care.

Rescue from the Streets:
The rescue plan to be followed and the roles to be played by the Police and CHARDEP had been finalized in several meetings between the Superintendent of Police, Shri.Santosh Kumar, I.P.S. and the Director of CHARDEP, Shri.G. Manikandan and their respective staff.

At 7.30 am on 09.07.2008, ten teams, each consisting of a few policemen and two CHARDEP staff were dispatched in police vehicles from Kottar Police Station to areas allocated to them throughout Kanyakumari district. The mentally ill persons found wandering on the streets and highways were gently guided into the vehicles and brought to the Gathering Point which was the Auditorium of the Government Ayurvedic Medical  College, Kottar, Nagercoil.

The statistics of the programme are as below.

The concluded programme was a great eye opener as far as CHARDEP is concerned. It was realized that the magnitude of the problem necessitates immediate action to ensure that equitable and fair treatment is provided to the several hundreds of mentally ill people in Kanyakumari district who have been neglected and deprived of their rights and dignity. CHARDEP has a great team, whose dedication to their work and sympathy for the voiceless wandering mentally ill of Kanyakumari district has led to an unanimous decision to start regular work among them.

In this regard, the following steps have been taken:

• As the practice of abandoning mentally ill persons is prevalent and there are people from other places who desert them in Kanyakumari district, it has been decided to place huge billboards which would make the family members aware of the criminality and inhumanity of the deed they were contemplating. Contact details of CHARDEP would be provided offering them guidance and help in caring for their mentally ill.

• It was planned to obtain a vehicle to be used for rescuing the mentally ill. BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Chennai has agreed to donate the vehicle and it would be delivered by the end of July, 2008.

• It has been decided to sponsor three staff initially for professional training in working with the mentally ill.

• The problems a homeless mentally ill person would face on being cured have been recognized and CHARDEP is exploring ways in which they could be rehabilitated and made to lead independent and productive lives.