With celebrities like Deepika Padukone coming out and talking about their battles with depression, it’s easy to believe that people have changed their minds about mental health issues. While it is safe to say that the mentality has changed quite a bit, there is still a silence over discussions on mental health. In rural areas, and even in most urban households, mental illness is a topic of conversation that is never addressed. The need to help mentally ill patients is not recognised. Even with such a large population that suffers from the disease, the stigma is real and still very much alive.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in India, one in twenty people over the age of 18 suffer from depression. Most of these people shy away from getting the proper treatment they deserve. Those who do seek help are usually from cities or urban towns and economically well off. So what about the rural sector which dominates the Indian subcontinent? The very concept of looking at mental illness as a disease and to help mentally ill patients using proper medical treatments hasn’t permeated to the rural sector as of yet. The villagers living in such areas believe that such illnesses are because the patient has been “possessed by the devil” or that they have been cursed by God. Most of them visit village healers or consult priests and other “gurus” for help. Needless to say, their problems are never addressed in the right way only leading to an increase in such cases.
Combating this becomes a challenge, especially due to the lack of proper education. Providing the necessary medical aid to these far lying areas also becomes difficult due to the lack of access and resources. Therapy is a time consuming and necessary aid that is required to help mentally ill patients. Unfortunately, over the years therapy has become elitist so much so that only the rich and upper-middle-class people can afford it. The poorer sections of the society are left to languish in these terrible conditions with diseases that are often misdiagnosed or not treated at all.
In a situation like this, it is us for us to do our absolute best to help organisations that are bringing the much-needed help and support to these people. The need of the hour is to bring the solutions to the people in extreme need, reduce the stigma surrounding the concept of mental illness and improve awareness and social acceptance.
Here Are Some NGOs That You Can Support To Bring About A Change
Ashadeep Mission was formed in 1996 in Northeast India to help mentally ill patients get access to rehabilitation facilities that weren’t available at the time. Since the time they were established, 1200 individuals in Guwahati and over 2000 people in rural areas of Assam have received help with issues relevant to mental health. 650 homeless people have been housed and treated at rehabilitation centres and 550 of them have been reunited with their families. Over 360 people struggling from mental illnesses have received therapy.
Sangita was a 45-year-old woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder found wandering the streets of Khanapara, Guwahati. With regular medication, therapy and care, Sangita started recovering. She now lives independently and works as a computer instructor at the rehabilitation centre. Ashadeep was able to bring normalcy back to Sangita’s life and provide her with a home and a job. The organisation requires support to provide its patients with food, shelter and treatment.
Neptune Foundation was established in 2010 under the Neptune Group. They work to identify homeless people with mental illnesses wandering the streets, take them under their wing and arrange treatment. Once they battle their memory loss and are cured, they are reunited with their families. Neptune also arranges to pay for the lifelong medication of their patients who can’t afford them. They have picked up around 283 people and successfully reunited 183 with families.
Firoz was a 30-year-old man found wandering the streets with no memory. He was admitted to the Regional Mental hospital where he started treatment. He got in touch with the Neptune team when he started remembering details of his past. With the help of the information he provided, the team got in touch with his uncle and reunited them. Firoz is now mentally fit and living happily with his family.
Paripurnata Halfway Home is a safe shelter that works to help mentally ill patients reunite with their families. It provides a temporary home where patients can avail treatments like pharmacotherapy, occupational therapy, non-formal education, and counselling. Women also re-learn other necessary skills like cooking, cleaning and shopping. The residents are regularly taken out for picnics and other social gatherings to help them develop their social skills.
Shibani was a resident of Mallick Phata, Howrah. She first started showing symptoms of schizophrenia in her late teens. Her condition worsened after her marriage and the birth of her two sons. She was admitted to a mental hospital and remained there for 14 years. As she didn’t have a family who could help her, she was referred to Paripurnata. At the centre, she was provided free of cost accommodation, food, clothes, and medicines. Representatives of Paripurnata got in touch with her son, and now she is safely living with him.