Around her Class 10 exams, Aathira’s (name changed) mother started noticing changes in her sleeping patterns. Her memories and recollection of the day’s events were getting seemingly inconsistent. “She would talk about actors and celebrities visiting her. There were times when she was increasingly violent. Our neighbours knew something was wrong. So did her friends and teachers,” recalls the mother, a government employee.
When she read about schizophrenia in a newspaper article, she figured the symptoms match that of her daughter. “We took her to a private hospital in Kakkanand, Kochi. They barely asked a question or two, took very little detail, and ended up diagnosing her as bipolar,” she says. In the check-up that followed, the doctors were provocative to the girl and cold towards the family that was confused and terrified of what their daughter was going through.
“After many sessions and several rounds of medication, there was little change. The doctors were so insensitive that when my daughter was delusional and talking to herself, they wanted me to send her to the school. They said it will be fine eventually, but I wasn’t ready to put my daughter through all that ridicule at school,” she remembers.
Soon after, the family took Aathira to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, where for the first time, the family got answers they needed and Aathira got the help she deserved. Almost six years later, she is a graduate, dancer and amateur violinist. “The doctors there helped her understand how and what was wrong with her,” says the mother.
Though mild mental health disorders like depression and anxiety are being discussed in the mainstream now, the stigma related to psychotic illnesses including schizophrenia, split personality disorder and bipolar disorder is still strong. “From my experience, even many doctors and therapists are unaware of how to handle such patients. It is routine for them. They treat it like a broken ankle,” says Aathira’s mother.
According to Dr Arun B Nair, Consultant Psychiatrist at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, who works extensively on creating awareness about disorders including schizophrenia, timely diagnosis and intervention are vital for recovery and rehabilitation in such cases. “Disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar need hospital admission. Duration of untreated illness (DUI) is relevant in such cases, meaning the interval between the onset of a psychiatric disorder and the administration of the first pharmacological treatment is the key. If the period is more than two years, it can create permanent changes that would entail an indefinite treatment period. Most people don’t go for proper scientific diagnosis and take treatment in time and wander around a lot before they reach a good practitioner. This is a big hindrance,” he says.
Severe stages of schizophrenia could require intensive medical intervention, as the illness would create a lack of perspective in the patient about the disease. “That is why diagnosis is key. With proper treatment, you can lead a normal life. There are IAS officers and neurosurgeons with schizophrenia that I have personally treated and are living good lives now,” says Arun, who has authored multiple books on mental health disorders. But he admits awareness still has a long way to go, in our schools, colleges, workplaces and rural areas of the state.
“When I started practice in 2010, we had about 50 patients in OP. Now, the number is around 200. We have come a long way from where it used to be,” he says. “To create more awareness among schoolchildren and equip them towards positive mental health, we have built a life-skill education module called ‘Ullasa Paravakal’ printed by SCERT. It has around 20 hours of activity-oriented sessions per year, that cover drugs, stress, interpersonal relationships and more. For higher secondary teachers, there is Souhruda Club, an adolescent counselling career guidance cell that enables them to identify and facilitate treatment of mental health problems. For college teachers, there is Jeevani, mental health literacy and first aid programme,” he says.
Save them young
Souhruda Club, an adolescent counselling career guidance cell enables higher secondary teachers to identify and facilitate treatment of mental health problems. For college teachers, there is Jeevani, a mental health literacy and first aid programme.