Will the Mental Health Care Bill passed by the Rajya Sabha, which brings to centre stage the rights of patients diagnosed with mental disorders, serve the purpose of making positive changes to the mental health care infrastructure?
The following is the testimony of a 54-year-old mother diagnosed with anxiety. The verbatim testimony was taken with her consent. The identities of the places and people she refers to, and those of her doctor and counsellor, have been kept confidential. She was divorced within one year of her marriage. Her family supported her treatment, initially in the public health system, and then by private health care providers. The family brought up her daughter, who is a bright, intelligent 26-year-old woman.
In X my mental health you know was, like, serious. I used to burst out tempers and was often living, like, secluded. I found people in the house very busy, like, and was shy in conversing with them. I did not feel like telling my problems as I did not know how to start and what, where to start. I felt life quite depressing and had no interest in anything. When Papa used to admonish me, I used to feel very down. I took also less interest in eating. I used to like to talk to my neighbour downstairs. Besides I liked to do house chores little bit. I did not also like to confide in my neighbour too. On the whole it was little okay not as serious as of now. I used to like going out to temples and fairs. I also liked doing embroidery, which I learnt, but I never liked to converse with people. Though I liked the company of friends and people. Now I feel I am better, if not fully okay. I was not taking medicines when I was at X, only tranquilisers. I used to get some sleep and at times no sleep. At X that is what I said. I used to lose tempers and some of the family, like Y, used to abuse me and with all these I felt very insulted and low in my moods. Papa also was not that agreeable to me and he was that dominating kind of person whom I could not easily cope with. Even he used to lose his tempers.
Esta historia es de la edición September 16, 2016 de FRONTLINE.
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Esta historia es de la edición September 16, 2016 de FRONTLINE.
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How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
Tragedy on foot
As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
