CHENNAI: "Compassion and kindness are languages that the deaf can hear and the blind can see and the mentally ill can understand," said Dr Sarada Menon, founder of Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF), as she received the 'Mother Teresa Award' from Indian Development Foundation (formerly Indian Leprosy Foundation) on Tuesday.
Speaking at the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Dr Menon said the country has come a long way when it comes to mental health. "From having one mental hospital with over 2,800 patients, we now have several centres that provide care. From being the only woman psychiatrist in the country, I now see so many people pursuing the field," she added. However, she pointed out three main road blocks in treatment for the mentally ill.
"Availability, accessibility and affordability for the rural and urban poor is extremely low," she bemoaned. While awareness is greater among people from better social status, she regretted that even when a person gets mental help, they are bogged down by intense stigma. "Even when my patients invite me for their wedding, they ask me not to come fearing that people will know that they were treated for a mental illness," she said.
The third and the most important challenge, according to her, is that "a student can get an MBBS degree without having to know anything about psychiatry. In fact I have been putting pressure on Medical Council of India to make psychiatry an examination subject."
Dr Menon promises to fight for the well-being of the mentally ill despite obstacles in the society.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr MS Swaminathan said, "Chennai is often called the health capital of India. I often think so that is because of women like her."