“WHAT IS THE FATE OF A WOMEN WITH MENTAL ILLNESS IN NORTH KARNATAKA”

What is the fate of women with mental illness in North Karnataka-in South India? Where there are approximately more than 45000 destitute mentally ill persons on the streets with nobody to care and no where to go. The conditions of those staying with families are not better. With limited number of psychiatrist available for the entire district of Raichur

Recent reports show that India’s capital city Delhi has for every 10,000 mentally ill patients there are only 2.5 beds available and with the severe shortage of psychiatrist and services not available even in major city like Delhi, imagine the plight of Rural populations.

Poor families go through hell in getting necessary medical care and treatments from hospitals and finally they end up with quacks and witch craft, magic man and other herbal medicine man.

After exhausting all their resources and money, finally let the patient remain at home bonded in chains so that he \she doesn’t run away or harm anyone or self.

As a resource person of a Largest NGO-Karnataka who are working among the marginal people of north Karnataka, during these past 15 years. I feel deeply touched by these interactions and personal experiences with these beautiful people living in extreme conditions with an indomitable will. As M. Scott Peck in his book -“The Road less Traveled” talks about how life is difficult and the process of transcending this truth is to understand and accept.  These special Children of God simply accept and carry on with a total humility and live each day as it comes.

I was on road again, visiting young women with mental illness in a remote village to counsel her and her family members. This is one of the major drought prone areas of the north Karnataka, in south India With high rate of illiteracy and child mortality.

I could feel the fury of the sun’s heat as we drove through the barren land with a temperature shooting up to 40 degree even at the early hours of 11.30 am. Sitting inside the jeep breathing hot air and the dust from the muddy road was like sitting inside a furnace.

After more than 1 hour long drive through the rocky dry landscape, where you don’t see any trees for a long stretch, women dressed in green saris walking miles bare feet on those scorching heat after collecting few dry sticks for fire wood on their head and little pots of water on their hip.

Finally we reached a little village with stone houses and thatched huts, greeted by screaming & excited children parked our jeep under a baniyan tree where the farmers sat in silence nothing to do.

The farmers have faced another major drought this year loosing all their investments and crop as the Rains has failed. It’s a time of deep loss for this people where their options are very few, either they take a loan from the private money lenders with a heavy interest (which they will end-up paying all their life or may lose their land in the process) or leave their village with their wife and their children who can work and leaving behind the old and disabled to fend for themselves in search of work in another state as laborers. 

We walked through the by lanes of this little village, reached a little house, the old man saw us approaching, greeted us with a smile and brought an old sheet to spread on the court yard and asked us to sit down.

He called his wife to join us, while his daughter Mahadevi lay on a rope cot opposite to us and her two little kids also sat beside us. There was very little privacy, as the house is small, it is very congested with cows and sheep on one side and stakes of straw and cow feed on the other side.
 
The old man spoke, “what can I say sir, I am a poor farmer we live each day with un- certainties, you can see this year we have lost our crop and no food, that’s our life.

“Somehow with great difficulties I got my daughter married to a man who was working as a sweeper in the Government office, they were alright as a couple she had two children who are sitting here and suddenly one day her husband became ill and died.”

“After his sudden death, she became mentally ill, we admitted her for treated at the mental health care center , she didn’t recover than we treated  her  with local herbal medicine spent a lot of money on her treatment and medications-still not much use so we finally gave up on her ,what else can we poor people do, she is unable to work and contribute to the family income, nor take care of her children or house hold work, she runs away for days and comes back on her own.”

Suddenly, Mahadevi whom we assumed was sleeping got up and shouted at her father, saying “He doesn’t understand my pain, they stopped taking me to the hospital and now they have chained me like dog what else can they do, I am suffering with unbearable pain nobody listens to me”

We noticed both her legs were restrained with a crude metal iron rod bonded tightly pressing against her flesh and bone causing a serious swelling.

Old man said “she keeps running how long we can go on behind her searching in this terrible heat, just couple of day’s back we finally decided to restrain her and keep her at home”

“I said to her, that I have come mainly to listen to her and her family and see how we can help her to get well and start working and lead a normal life. We want to institutionally support her and her family by referring her to the Government hospital for treatment and ensure that she gets free medication from the Government hospital and we will follow-up with the family. She started to cry “please Sir, Help me first to remove these chains as it is paining badly, I cannot even go the toilet in this condition”

People don’t have toilets in their houses as everyone goes out into the fields, for a woman it’s very difficult she has to go before dawn far into the fields. For someone who is restrained with metal rods it’s terrible as she cannot even walk.

I explained to her parents that her restrain has to be removed immediately as it’s against law, its inhuman more so the lady is suffering from severe pain and soon her leg will get infected and she may even loose her legs in the process”

With the permission of her parents, I and my team tried to remove the Iron rod, Soon even after more than an hour we couldn’t move an inch.

Finally we sent word to go find a black smith in the village, unfortunately he was not available.

The lady was experiencing severe pain, then she started to direct us, we slowly moved her to a comfortable place so that she can stretch her legs.

One farmer ran home and brought an old small axe blade, with that I started to cut the metal rod, then one by one from the staff team, villagers took turns to cut the rod, the members from the neighbour hood joined us, this women  was very excited and started directing us and pouring water on the metal.

She was happy to see the whole village busy working and each one was sweating away and tried their hand.

She joked “sir, let my father also try and cut it let him sweat it out let him realize how painful it is”

After 3 hours of hard work with bruises in our hands, we managed to cut the restrains and free her legs. She was extremely happy, suddenly she disappeared after a little while she came back after having a bath and dressed in a nice clean sari looking neat and smart.

I asked her to join us for a session along with her parents I asked her “Now as per your wish we have removed the chain, your parents are worried about you running away”

Sir, I promise you in front of all these people, I will stay at home, I will not budge from here till you say and I will go to the hospital and follow-up on the medication.

Immediately we organized the dates with the parents \staff to go the hospital and institutional procedures etc. She ran home made some tea, offered t with much care and great fullness. We left the village with sigh of relief and sense of happiness.

Subsequently, the next day we arranged for a vehicle she left with her parents, accompanied by our CBR –staff. ( Community Based Rehabilitation)

After a month, I visited her again as a follow-up, I was amazed to hear that she is doing very well with the medication and is working in the fields and taking care of her children.

Someone ran to inform her that I have come to see her, she came back with eagerness and said “I am feeling better now, I can work in the fields and my children are happy too, I need one more help from you, if you somehow get a job in my husband office I will have a steady income with that I will be able to take care of my children and my old a parents too”

I asked her to give a little time for the medical review and meanwhile our staff will explore her suggested options with the Government authorities. Also explore options through the banks & Governments schemes any income generating programs etc.

Her parents expressed relief and happiness over her improvements.

We left the village with a deep sense of satisfaction to another interior village where there are many more people with mental illness like this young lady needing someone to lead them out of the present in-human condition and give then their rights of dignity, respect and medical care as a human being.

“For many people with mental illness in this region of North Karnataka still its long way to the road to freedom”.