BENGALURU: Though the Mental Health Care Act 2017 was notified in June, which envisions the right to mental health care and entrusts the state governments to ensure facilities for rehabilitating the mentally ill — halfway homes for those looking to integrate into the mainstream have still not been made operational by the government.
Bengaluru has five such homes, all private, where patient’s families have to pay through their nose for a few months. Asha Halfway home, for example, charges Rs 21,000 per month and Rs 50,000 deposit. This is a not-for-profit organisation.
Suman K Anand, rehabilitation counsellor, Asha Halfway Home, Jayanagar, said, “We stick to a structured schedule where clients have to do their daily activities on their own — folding their clothes and cleaning bathrooms. They may not be ready to socialise yet and are given simple tasks like spending money on a movie, going for an outing. They’re also taught to comply with their medication.”
Dr Jagadisha Thirthalli, Professor of Psychiatry and Head, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, NIMHANS, said, “Most common diagnosis of people who stay in halfway homes is Schizophrenia. The set-up is suitable for those suffering from bipolar disorders, depression, personality disorders, addiction and intellectual disability. They may have co-morbidities like alcoholism. It is recommended for people who are not well enough to live with their families or independently,” he added.
“We need 5-10 times more the number of homes available now. There’s also problem of affordability. We refer around 1-2 patients every month to halfway homes. NIMHANS has plans of running a home and provide a model on how they can be run but NIMHANS alone cannot satisfy the demand,” he added. Dr Rajani, Deputy Director, Mental Health, Department of Health and Family Welfare, said that there are no halfway homes in the true spirit of the word but other residential homes.
“We run 14-day care centres for the rehabilitation of mentally ill but none in Bengaluru. Bangalore Medical College will start one. The Women and Child Development Department runs manasa kendras — homes for women where the mentally ill are also taken in. Men can be taken in homes run by the disability department,” she said.