in Malayalam, to name a few. Many films however use mental retardation and mental illness interchangeably and this increases the confusion in people's minds.
Traditional stigma attached to mental disorders can be aggravated if scientifically sound messages are distorted by the media. Film media can be more careful, perhaps use the Censor Board, to check erroneous messages related to mental disorders conveyed to the public. Q. Do some antipsychotic drugs hinder recovery as believed widely?
In schizophrenia, there are structural and biochemical changes in the brain. So, medicines are required
to set this right. This is how anti psychotics work by correcting the chemical imbalance in the brain. Some of them can cause side effects like drowsiness, dryness of mouth, weight gain and menstrual irregularities.
But used in right dosages, these drugs are an absolute requirement for persons with schizophrenia.
As is commonly believed, schizophrenics are not violent all the time. In fact, I think in India, normal people are more violent than persons with schizophrenia. Schizophrenics tend to keep aloof and shun social contact. Very rarely do they get violent.
Contrary to popular belief, persons with schizophrenia do improve and lead normal lives. We have had many persons in SCARF who after treatment and rehabilitation have been able to hold jobs, get married, and lead productive lives. This often depends on how early they seek treatment, and the kind of family and environmental support they have. Families who are often not informed about this disorder also undergo a lot of hardships and some of them feel stigmatized themselves. Q. SCARF being the only one-of-its-kind institution in India, how do you reach out to help people in different parts of India and abroad? Can you name some Supports Groups you work with?
SCARF has been running a lot of community outreach programmes in urban and rural areas in India. We have pioneered the use of Telemedicine
to reach out to areas where formal mental health services are not available.
Also, there are some family groups in India— the one in Chennai is ASHA
. SCARF has been working closely with them right from the beginning. It will be good for the cause of mental illness if such support groups can lobby with government in a unified way. Q. Can you highlight some Research and Training programs that are an integral part of SCARF?
The fourth International Conference on Schizophrenia (IConS IV) hosted by SCARF is scheduled for October 22-24, 2010 on the theme "Schizophrenia & Related Disorders: Advances, Updates and Reviews."
conducted every alternate year since 2004 has had about 400 international delegates and is ranked among the best scientific conferences world over.
SCARF has presented more than 150 research papers published in peer reviewed journals. Students from mental health and allied disciplines are regularly trained at SCARF. Q. Please share with our readers the proudest moment in your work so far?
One of the most significant milestones in my work over the last thirty years has been the development of a tool to measure disability caused by mental illness. IDEAS (Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Scale) is used nationwide and has been gazetted by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt of India as the official tool to measure disability. Q. Your vision for treatment of mental disorders in India?
My desire is that no Indian, wherever he or she lives, rich or poor should be denied treatment and help for mental disorders
. Those severely disabled by schizophrenia should receive some disability benefits which will be a boon to them and their families. I would also like a national anti stigma campaign to be launched by government along with NGOs and the media to reduce the stigma of mental illnesses so that more people seek treatment and do it early. I also hope that soon, research will find a definite cause for schizophrenia, so that it can be prevented. Q. How can Medindia help SCARF's mission?
Medindia can provide useful and correct information on schizophrenia, its sig