 |
IT’S
A MAD MAD WORLD! Or why should anyone ever exploit,
abuse, neglect and ridicule “extraordinary people” coping with “extraordinary
situations?” But that’s the general attitude of societies all around the world
against people with mental illness.
In this rather insane
situation, Dr. Sandy Syiem brings in balance and discards the notion that
mental illness is perpetual and therefore anyone fighting with such ailments
must be treated differently. He states: “mental illness is curable” and has
been demonstrating it, with compassion and love, over several decades now.
After Dr. Syiem
completed his doctorate from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New
Delhi back in the 80s, like all his peers wanted to practise in a
Metropolitan city or migrate abroad, but perhaps his fate was pre-destined.
Dr. Syiem recalls that
when his brother expired after his studies, his parents insisted that he return
home and so he did. After his return to Shillong Dr. Syiem took up a Government
job and worked all over the State, looking after the mentally ill patients in
different government institute, one such institute was infamously called the
“Mawlai Mental Jail.”
“This was a high
security prison for dangerous insurgents from Nagaland, which was later turned
into an asylum for the mentally ill,” Dr. Syiem said.
He said that the
mentally ill were cramped inside dark cells without ventilation and were
treated more as animals than human beings. Dr. Syiem tried to bring in changes,
but was stonewalled by bureaucratic red-tapism and so he quit and that’s when
he decided to start working on his own and founded the San Ker Rehabilitation
Centre.
 |
| Dr. Sandy Syiem |
The centre is an
institute to look after the large number of “uncared mentally ill patients” of
the State and is nestled amongst dense pine trees and beautiful surroundings at
Mawroh.
“We began with the
barest minimum in a cowshed and build the institute from scratch, taking loans
in June 1990,” Dr. Syiem said. Now it is a 90 bed facility centre for male and
female patients. Along with medication, there are group, individual and
vocational therapy sessions. There is, moreover, the counselling sessions for
the inmates as well as the families.
In the centre there is
a basketball court and also some facilities to play sports. As soon as Dr.
Syiem gets inside the centre the inmates surround him speaking about their
problems, aspirations and desire to get back home. He consoles and advises each
one of them, hugging them individually like a father-figure.
During this round of
the centre, Dr. Syiem proudly displays some of the paintings that some of the
inmates have created and are now mounted on the walls of the different corners
of the institute. He says that many inmates are creatively inclined towards
painting and they give colour to their emotions through their beautiful work.
He also invites local artists and conducts painting workshops from time to
time.
At the centre there
are mentally ill patients from all over the region and speaks volume of the
kind of importance state governments associate with mental illness. Take the
case of a young rape victim from Assam. She has been handed over to the centre
by a Government agency from the neighbouring State as there are “no facilities”
to treat the girl in that State fighting mental imbalance after the rape.
Ironically, many of
the patients who recover and are discharged are not taken back by their
families. Geeta Roy, who was left at the centre years back now sits at the
centre’s vocational training centre and makes beautiful flowers out of pine
cones. “Mein ghar jana chati hu, legin koi mujhe lene nehi ata.” (I want to go
home, but nobody from my family is coming to take me back), the frail woman
says with remorse.
Dr. Syiem says that he
has approached many times to find her family, but to no avail. There are many
others who have been simply forgotten by the family. There is this stigma and
people are sometimes ashamed to recognize one of their family members being
mentally ill, Dr. Syiem says.
He adds that the society’s
perception towards the mentally ill patient is stereotypical. Apart from the
usual social stigma attached with mentally ill patient, women are worse off.
Mentally ill women patients are victims of all forms of exploitation, including
rape. He adds that in the first instance most of the mentally ill patients have
undergone extreme physical and mental duress in one way or the other, resulting
in their breakdown.
And when after
recovery the society rejects them they become despondent and desperate further
aggravating their situations. Moreover, with only a handful of NGOs working in
this field and little Government assistance a large number of such patients
ends up on the streets to be hounded and exploited from all quarters.
He further says that
people generally don’t talk about mental illness. And they go for treatment
quietly, be it at the hands of quacks or faith-healers. “They come here when
all other options have been exhausted,” Dr Syiem said.
Interestingly, Dr.
Syiem believes that awareness against mental illness is more pronounced in the
rural sectors than in the urban areas. He says that in the villages it is not
possible to hide anyone suffering from mental illness as the societies are very
close-knit, but in the urban centres the case is the opposite.
Meanwhile, there is no
authentic data to number the mentally ill patients in the country. So policies
and programmes are not accordingly formulated. Moreover, research and studies
on mental illness is woefully poor and so is the awareness level amongst the
people.
For example, mental
illness is associated with violent behaviour, which is necessarily not correct.
People coping with diseases like Schizophrenia and Maniac depression can be
extremely thoughtful and intelligent.
On the legislation
front, the Mental Health Act, 1987 (which replaced the Lunacy Act of 1912) came
into force only in 1993. This Act’s objective is to protect the mentally ill
from exploitation and abuse and provide them the rights to live as equal
citizens.
But this Act has only
been cosmetically implemented in States around the country. Experts say that
this Act needs to be enforced in letter and spirit and needs further amendments
to suit modern science and conditions.
Dr. Syiem has been a
vocal advocate for brining in changes in the State in terms of mental health
care and says that the State Government needs to do more for the mentally ill
in terms of budget allocation and legislation implementation. He points out that
in the Meghalaya health budget, just 2 per cent is earmarked for mental
health care and has been urging the Government time and again to increase this
allocation.
For Dr. Syiem life has
been a challenge, right from fighting societal stereotype, government
indifference and on his personal front too as a Cancer survivor. Having being
diagnosed with Cancer in 1998, he successfully fought it only for the disease
to recur in 2001, which he again fought back and recovered. “This is not my
fight but of many others and I believe there is a divine grace which has
enabled me to do so,” Dr. Syiem says.
On his future plans
the doctor has prepared an elaborate blue print for expansion of the centre,
which is now run by a trust. There are plans to set up a 100 bedded centre with
a hospice and other facilities. He says getting fund for the project is a
constraint and has been running to the Government, philanthropic agencies and
individuals, for help.
Centuries back,
Vincent Van Gogh, whose mental instability is now legendary, with some
instances being romanticized to a certain degree of sadism, could not sell a
single painting during his lifetime as these were taunted and scoffed off as
work of a “mad man!”
However Vincent Van
Goh once stated “some of the colours I have depicted are not locally true,
however they (colours) portray some inherent emotions.” Sadly, many
short-sighted individuals and institutions of our present society are still
being unable to see and understand these “beautiful minds.”
