New Delhi, October 10th, 2012

NHRC Chairperson, Mr. Justice K.G. Balakrishnan today said that there is a need to conduct nation-wide survey to identify the magnitude of the problems related to mental health so that proper strategies could be adopted to address the existing shortcomings in the mental healthcare system in the country.

Inaugurating a national seminar on "Mental Health & Human Rights" organized by the NHRC in New Delhi to mark the "World Mental Health Day", he said that high priority needs to be given to mental health like other issues and, for this funds should be allocated.

Justice Balakrishnan said that the Commission is concerned about the discrimination of mentally ill persons in society. They are equally entitled to all the rights like other human beings. Prevention, treatment, rehabilitation are key issues concerning mental health care. Acceptability of the persons in society after their treatment is something for which all sections of society need to respond. From human rights point of view, mentally ill patients should not be refused admission and treatment in hospitals; they along with their attendants need to be treated with dignity.

NHRC's persistent review of implementation of its recommendations, under a mandate given to it by the Supreme Court, has brought in some improvements, but nearly forty hospitals are not sufficient to cater to the requirements of so many people suffering with different kinds of psychological and mental disorders.

Referring to a recent case of a mentally disturbed, but highly qualified young man's death due to severe beating in a Kerala mental hospital, Justice Balakrishnan said that it is very sad state of affairs. People suffering with these problems need to be treated sympathetically. He appealed to the civil society, in particular, that they should come forward in providing some job orientation or training to the persons who have been cured of their mental disorders so that they could earn their livelihood with dignity.

In the context of depression as one of the types of mental illness, he referred to a large number of cases of farmers' suicide in some states in the country and said that crop failure can not be singled out as the only reason behind this as crop failure is not a recent phenomena.

Earlier, Mr. J.S. Kochher, Joint Secretary (Trg.), NHRC said that there is very little knowledge about mental health in rural areas and in absence of proper mental healthcare facilities in the vicinity they turn to faith healers. He said that importance of spreading awareness about medicines and health care among the people in rural areas is very important.

Several key issues were discussed during the day-long seminar spread into three thematic sessions, each chaired by the NHRC Members, Mr. Justice G.P. Mathur, Mr. Justice B.C. Patel and Mr. Satyabrata Pal. The discussion were spread on the following issues:

" Human Rights and Mental Health Care: Issues of concern and way forward;
" Legislative & Policy Framework - current scenario and need for harmonization with UNCRPD;
" Depression, a Global Crisis - Indian scenario which is also the theme of this year's "World Mental Health Day".
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Some of the important points emerged during the discussions were as follows:

" Some teams of villagers should be set up by sensitizing them to act as counsellors in their area on mental health issues;
" Workout mechanism of centralized storage of pesticides in the villages to check their easy access to farmers;
" Focus on the study of suicidal tendencies among people to help develop suicide prevention programme;
" Enhance the pool of care providers while working towards custodial care to community based care for the cure and rehabilitation of mentally ill persons;
" Policy should translate into action with a multi-sectoral approach;
" Health programme needs to be made functional in various Districts to equally pay attention to rural areas along with the urban areas;
" Introduce a paper on psychiatry in MBBS courses;
" Utilize media in its various forms to promote awareness with a rights based perspective on mental health;
" Work on strategy to get permission/authorization for treatment of mentally ill persons, especially, those homeless mentally ill persons roaming around religious places and elsewhere; Also strengthen legal framework to check rampant sexual exploitation of mentally ill persons.

The speakers included Dr. Nimesh G. Desai, Director, IHBAS, Delhi, Dr. Prathibha Murthy, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, Dr. R. Sarawal, Advisor, Planning Commission, Prof. Amita Dhanda, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, Dr. Rajesh Sagar, Additional Professor, Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS, Dr. Sameer Malhotra, Head, Department of Mental Health, MAX Healthcare and Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar, Founder Trustee, SNEHA, Chennai.

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