Community Mental Health Project

There is a very high prevalence of mental disorders among the tribes of Attappady. The problem has not been subjected to scientific study and analysis by any agency so far.

A comprehensive survey conducted in 2010 in 165 hamlets of Attappady had brought out the high number of mentally ill people in each hamlet.

The survey was inaugurated by Dr.P.R. Karunakaran District Medical Officer, Palakkad on 15th January 2010. The survey was conducted by about 60 Village Mental Health Volunteers.

The survey revealed the following:

There were about 300 patients with severe mental illness in the tribal villages of Attappady.
The disorders range from frank psychosis to mood disorders. Schizophrenia is the most common condition.
A majority of the patients had not received any treatment at all.
Many of those who had their treatment started at Medical college hospitals at Thrissur or Calicut had discontinued it. All of the patients were from a poor socio economic background and find it difficult to buy the costly psychiatric medicines on a regular basis.
Most of the patients are in their twenties and thirties .They were the bread winners for their families.
There is very poor awareness regarding mental illness among the tribal population.

There is a large number of wandering and neglected patients. The scenario is worsened by the emergence of new patients every year. Consumption of liquor, widespread use of Ganja, insecurities in the family, all seem to play major roles in promoting the emergence of these disorders among the tribes of Attappady. A large number of suicides are being reported in Attappady every month, especially from the tribal population. There has not been any scientific study regarding the size of the problem of mental illness or the reasons there of.

Project Highlights

Community Mental Health Project in Attappady was started in March 2009.It was started by Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission with technical assistance from the Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Thrissur. Though treatment of patients started in March, the project was formally inaugurated on 23rdNovember 2009 by reputed poet and social worker, Srimathi P.Sugathakumari.

Project Activities

Consultation and treatment for all patients on all days of the week.
Expert Psychiatric consultation for selected patients
Documentation of symptoms and signs on every visit
Provision of free medicines to all patients.
Motivation and follow up for subsequent review visits
Transportation of agitated patients to the hospital by vehicle.
Home visit by Medical Social Worker, doctor, trust members.
Creation of awareness in the society about mental illness by way of pictorial exhibitions, public meetings etc.
Training of health volunteers about mental illness and its treatment approaches.
Rehabilitation training for mentally ill patients with symptom reduction.
Guidance and facilitation for getting benefits from the government and other sources.

There are more than 300 registered patients in the programme. These include patients with Severe Mental Disorders like Psychosis, Bipolar Disorder etc and Common Mental Disorders like Depression, Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder etc.

MEHAC (Mental Health and Action) trust, Kochi, has been a partner in the Community Mental Health Project since 2011 to provide quality mental health care to the community. Dr.Chitra Venkiteswaran and her team of social workers from MEHAC are visiting our hospital every month to conduct a psychiatric clinic. Patients needing expert psychiatric care are given treatment in this clinic.

Capacity Building

Regular training programmes for Mental Health Volunteers and Village health Workers have been held since the inception of this programme. The workers have been trained about the symptoms of mental illness, the efficacy of treatment and regular medication. They have been motivated to provide support to patients and their families. The family members are also called for regular meetings in which they share their experiences and gain more insight into the treatment of mental illnesses. Awareness programmes for college students and high school students are also conducted every year as part of the CMHP.

Benefits of the Project

Patients can avail of treatment for mental illness at a general health centre.
Ready availability of treatment and medicines 24 x 7 for mental illness.
Regular supply of free medicines is assured.
Expert psychiatric medical care is available every month as part of the programme.
Regular follow up and good drug compliance provides better recovery.
A large number of patients are symptom free and have returned to their normal routines.

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