Representative image of a mental health counselling session.
Credit: iStock Photo
As part of its golden jubilee celebrations, NGO Medico-Pastoral Association (MPA) plans to launch a long-term care facility for individuals with chronic mental illnesses by next year. The facility is intended for those who require a permanent place to stay.
About 50 years ago, MPA inaugurated its halfway home for people with chronic mental illnesses, predominantly schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It was the first facility of its kind in India. The halfway home caters to individuals who are neither severely ill enough to be hospitalised nor well enough to be at home. The facility also includes a hostel for individuals with mental illnesses who are sufficiently well to maintain a job but lack a place to call home.
“At any point in time, the halfway home and hostel together house 40-50 people,” said Dr Ajith Bhide, vice-president, MPA. He added that MPA was the first NGO in India to venture into the area of mental health. MPA was established by gynaecologist Dr Joyce Siromoni, psychiatrist Dr SS Jayaram, and Nimhans founder-director Dr RM Varma, with support from the CSI church. MPA operates a daycare centre for patients with chronic mental illnesses. In 2008, they launched the suicide prevention helpline SAHAI, the first of its kind in Bengaluru. The helpline now gets 10-80 calls daily, said Dr Bhide.