CHENNAI: The state government earlier in March notified the Tamil Nadu State Mental Healthcare Minimum Standards for De-addiction Centres Regulations 2025, with elaborate guidelines for the functioning of the centres.
The regulations framed under the Mental Health Care Act have classified the centres into two categories as Comprehensive De-addiction Centres (CDC) and Rehabilitation Centres (RC) for persons with substance abuse disorders (SUD) based on the services they offered. All centres should be registered with the State Mental Health Authority.
A key condition mentioned in the regulations is that a person with SUD can be admitted to one of these centres or transferred from one centre to the another only after an evaluation by a psychiatrist, who will decide whether the person has to be treated as in-patient or out-patient. Admission to the centre should be done by a medical practitioner.
The regulations broadly classifies de-addiction services as detoxification treatment, which primarily referred to medical intervention needed for managing a person through acute withdrawal and rehabilitation treatment, which could involve a constellation therapeutic services to promote and sustain recovery. While CDCs can provide detoxification and rehabilitation care, the RCs will mainly offer psychosocial intervention after detoxification.
Minimum standards have been defined for both the CDCs and RDCs. Human resources requirement for both can mildly vary while the presence of a psychiatrist and a qualified doctor is required in both. In CDCs, one staff nurse should be available for every 30 beds while an attendant should be there for every 20 beds. Psychologists and social workers should be available for every 50 beds in both types of centres.
The regulations lay stress on respecting human dignity and rights, prohibiting violence of any kind. Moreover, physical restraint should be used only to prevent harm to oneself or others after recommendation from the psychiatrist.
Common requirements for both CDCs and RCs include separate accommodation for female and male patients, separate cots, nursing station, safekeeping of patient records etc, adequate number of bathrooms and toilets for every 10 patients and facilities for recreation
The facilities also should have CCTV installed at entrance, exit, in shared areas, dining hall and common wards.