ROURKELA: After the decomposed body of a woman was recovered and her mentally challenged daughter rescued from their Basanti Colony house, concerns are being raised on social and psychological interventions in the absence of community support and psychological counselling to mental health victims.
Two back to back incidents in the city have exposed the vulnerability of families where elderly parents are left to fend for themselves with dependent children suffering from mental problems.
On Monday, after complaints of foul smell emanating from a house at Basanti Colony here, Uditnagar police recovered the decomposed body of Manju Puri (69) and rescued her mentally-ill daughter Priyanka (35) from another room.
Their neighbour Hiroj Ray said Priyanka was well educated and youngest among four sisters, who are all married in Delhi. “After death of her father Narottom Puri more than a year ago, Priyanka developed mental health issues. “She had got psychiatric treatment at Ranchi, but two months back her mental health issues resurfaced. The other daughters hardly come visiting,” he added.
In another incident, the body of one Devidas Bhojwani (85) was recovered by Plant Site police on February 14 from a locked house in the thickly populated Daily Market area. Her mentally deranged son Rajesh (40), after his mother’s death, had locked the house and went to some undisclosed location.
Rourkela SP Mukesh K Bhamoo said both cases are of similar nature where youngest children were left with the responsibility of their single parents. “Disruption in the family system, emotional and social deprivation and socio-economic factors play major roles in aggravating condition of victims of mental illness,” he said stressing on the need for psychological counseling and rehabilitation centre for persons with mental illness at Rourkela.