Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) With pressures of studies, work and relationships, teenagers and those in their early 20’s have become very susceptible to mental illness like schizophrenia, experts say, adding that the condition is 70 percent treatable.
Around 450 million people worldwide are affected by mental, neurological or behavioral problems and the rate is steadily rising, according to NGO Sanjivini Society for Mental Health. In India alone, around 15 million suffer from severe psychological disorders, of which a large chunk is youngsters facing pressures of study and work life.

“Schizophrenia is a psycho-social disability. It is caused due to neuro-chemical imbalances in the brain. Formal thought disorder is the start of this problem. Teenagers and those in their early 20’s are the biggest victims.

“Pressures of job,studies and even relationships among youngsters is very apparent. When affected the get violent, aggressive and depressed,” said Puneet Dwevedi, a consultant psychiatrist with the Max Hospitals, at a seminar on “Understanding Mental Illness” organised by Sanjivini at the India Habitat Centre Saturday evening.

He added that hardest part in treating the condition especially in youngsters was the acceptance from the victim and family members. He said that critical verbal and non verbal comments from the family was not helpful since the person usually has no clue that he even has a problem.

“Normally people are hesitant to reach out for treatment. Since these are neuro-chemical disorders, medication plays an important role. The person tends to also show covert symptoms like emotional blunting. In these cases rehabilitation with proper care giving is essential,” Dwivedi explained.

Another mental health expert Ramesh Bijlani called such mental illness “a circumstance with a purpose not of need”.

“The family support is necessary. Denial, lack of information about the illness and misconception surrounding the disease creates a hurdle in the intervention process and complicates things. Delay in treatment can result in irrepairable damage for the patient,” said Bijlani, a psychologist and mind-body expert.

Mukul Talwar, a leading Delhi High Court lawyer dealing with mental health cases, stressed that if people hide mental health problems from the outside world, it can also cause problems in marriage or relationships.

“Mental illness can be used as grounds for annulling a marriage. But this is when the person hides his condition as it amounts to getting consent by fraud. But if the mentally ill person has revealed all, then the courts tend to favour him,” Talwar said.

Experts said what was required was the participation of the civil society and government in recognising, understanding and helping people and families afflicted by mental illness and see it as any other treatable and manageable disease and not as a stigma.