discipline which helps when they take up outside jobs. More people in the industry should come forward to give jobs for such persons, many of them being quite skilled. Holding a job also raises their self esteem and helps in the recovery process. Q. India being a conservative society, how does SCARF de-stigmatize the issue of mental disorders? Can you tell us some tested strategies that SCARF can vouch for in creating awareness on mental health issues?
Stigma is one of the greatest barriers to seeking treatment and this delay leads to the condition becoming gradually more severe reducing the chances of complete recovery. Stigma also impairs social adjustment and acceptance by the community. SCARF is the Indian coordinating center for the anti stigma program of the World Psychiatric Association. The SCARF-WPA anti stigma program was launched in 2004 by the President of India then, Dr. Abdul Kalam. SCARF has used multiple strategies to deal with the stigma—using all forms of media such as print, radio, TV etc, traditional methods like folklore in rural areas and even a skit in Tamil enacted by improved patients of SCARF.
For the last three years, we have been conducting a film festival "Frame of Mind"
in which national and international films on the subject of mental health were screened over a 3 day period for the general public, followed by discussions with professionals. This was a unique experience since many patients and family members disclosed the fact of mental illness openly and discussed issues of concern. There is also a competition of short films based on a theme announced by us. The first three winners get cash awards. The next festival will be in October 2010.( www.frameofmind.in)
Apart from the popular Hollywood movie Beautiful Mind
which had a worldwide audience, there are some good Indian Films on schizophrenia namely, 15 Park Avenue
(English language Indian film), Woh Lamhe
in Hindi, Devrai
, Ratra Arambh
in Marathi and Kudaikul Mazhai
in Tamil and the recently released Pathaam Nilayile Theevandi
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.
A