It’s a Mad World Out There
13 October 2016We commemorated the World Mental Health Day last Monday which was remembered under the theme of "Psychological and Mental First Aid".
However, the day only stands as a reminder to our society that mental health is a serious matter that should not be ignored or taken lightly. However, the reality of the situation is that most of us do not take it seriously and only give it a second's glance.
Sri Lanka is yet to receive the memo of being politically correct and we know for a fact that it is long overdue. We are still stuck in the period where we address things as per they are labelled and stereotyped by the majority. We still go around liberally using the words Pissa or calling each other lunatics. No effort has been made to correct ourselves as of yet.
Our ignorance goes beyond this point of being politically correct. At any given chance we tend to associate mental illness with ridicule and vilification. We do not realize that we are thoughtlessly trivializing a sensitive, and often serious issue.
Things are definitely not what they used to be, of course. The Angoda Mental Hospital has gone through a thorough modernization process and has come out successfully as the National Institute of Mental Health. It is now, not an asylum for freaks, outcasts, misfits, the untouchables, the persona non grata and the social pariah.
It is a humane facility responsible for treating those who have been clinically diagnosed with a mental disorder or illness through proper care and legal forms of treatment. It is now a hospital where patients are taken care of physically and mentally.
However, the service is far from perfect. In fact, it could get so much better.
One of the biggest issues the National Institute of Mental Health is facing is the matter of patient overcrowding. The long running stigma surrounding mental health still forces Sri Lankan families to abandon patients in the care of the Institute. The Institute is currently housing over 1,000 patients and over 400 female patients at an institute managed halfway home. The hospital expects around 7,000 to 9, 000 admissions per year and is constantly faced with the risk of running out of beds to house patients, regardless of its many acres.
More so, there is a lack of psychiatrists and psychologists who are qualified to treat patients. For the 1,000 odd patients at the National Institute of Mental Health there are 10 consultant psychiatrists. Across the island, the need for having consultant psychiatrists at every base hospital is yet to be realized. There are even fewer specialists in sub areas such as adolescent, geriatric or child psychiatry. Sri Lanka has less than five forensic psychiatrists in the system.
Even the examinations that provide qualifications to practise psychiatry do not have a commendable pass rate. If 60 students/trainees sit for an examination only 10-15 would pass with the proper qualifications to practise at a recognized institution.
Yet, this is not the recurring problem of the Institute, and institutions like it, struggle with. The main issue is a simple lack of knowledge that leads to rampant stigma and discrimination.
Stigma is the most common barricade to seeking help and medication – this is mostly due to a limited understanding and lack of awareness of the cause of mental illnesses.
Unlike in illnesses with a physiological cause and cure, people are often sceptical of those diagnosed with depression, for instance. However, when diagnosed [if at all] there is shame and ridicule associated with mental illnesses; those suffering are labelled 'crazy' or 'retarded' and a taunt widely used is that such people belong in the 'Angoda Mental Hospital'.
Thus, the public awareness on mental health is a must. And it should be brought about and implemented from an early stage. Especially among school children whose school syllabus does not include a section on mental health which obviously leads to fear and ignorance.
Furthermore, most schools do not have qualified counsellors who can provide proper help/advice to children who are suffering from disorders. Colombo elite schools might have counsellors however; the lack of counsellors in schools in the rest of the country is something to be taken seriously.
We fear what we do not understand. But, when it comes to mental health, we are aware that they can be treated and helped. This knowledge should be shared without being affected by fear and ostracization.
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