Citation

Mohan R. Br. J. Psychiatry 2015; 190(1): 81-81.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

10.1192/bjp.190.1.81a

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code was deleted in India in December 2014. This de -criminalizes suicide attempts in India. A brave and decisive move but what are the different facets of mental illness in India? I have been a Consultant Psychiatrist for over 6 years in the UK. Being of Indian origin (With strong links professionally and personally in India) and working with serious mental illness, high risk and suicidality on a daily basis for about 15 years, reading this news evoked many thoughts??? There is hope and optimism for those afflicted by mental illness in India. This appears to be a progressive step towards understanding the mental health of those driven to extreme measures like suicide attempts in my home country, with one of the highest suicide rates in the world and large pockets of stigma and ignorance around mental illness ; a society that has traditionally largely depended on community cohesion, goodwill and the voluntary sector for the management of its mentally ill. This move is also accompanied by a signboard of caution. In a geographically massive, culturally diverse and overpopulated country, this will hopefully go hand-in-hand with: 1. Taking active measures to increase the existing highly trained but relatively miniscule mental health workforce 2. Large-scale community awareness programmes about mental health, especially around high-risk groups like children, young people, perinatal women, special needs/disabilities and the elderly 3. Many more funded and ethical treatment /support centres for the mentally ill 4. Systems in place around the mentally ill (Including social care, healthcare, the criminal justice system, the education system and employers) that promote safety and rehabilitation as a society for the mentally ill Any positive move towards promoting awareness and reducing stigma around high risk mental health issues could only benefit from careful consideration of repercussions, planning of infrastructure/resources and support from an international platform.

Language: en