The Banyan BLIP Day

Armed with paintbrushes and cans of orange, yellow and green, Team Banyan was at work when I entered the room allotted for The Banyan within the premises of the Indian Institute of Mental Health in Chennai. The day had finally arrived – The Banyan BLIP Day!

The sprawling grounds of the institution houses one of the most neglected and marginalized sections of the society – the mentally ill. Within these same grounds, The Banyan will be operating from a room that we can now call our own.

When the Banyan exceeded its capacity for residential housing at its Adaikalam Centre located at Mogappair, the idea of Project Dial 100 – the Mental Health Helpline was conceived and it marked the start of a unique collaborative effort between The Banyan, the Chennai city Police and the Indian Institute of Mental Health. Emergency and distress calls regarding mentally ill and homeless people that are made on Dial 100 are routed by the Chennai city Police to The Banyan which helps rescue and admit the patients to the IMH round the clock – both male and female patients in this case.

The project has seen three years of completion but what was needed was an internal space to operate from within Indian Institute of Mental Health to invest our time, resources and energy into the Dial 100 project in a more efficient way. Our wish was fulfilled because of the efforts of Dr. Sathyanathan (Director of IMH).

While some were busy painting and cleaning the room, a few from the team chose to visit and interact with the residents. The Banyan room was next to the female wards, so we made a tour of the male wards. Blank faces amidst those that registered recognition of the senior staff members greeted us. Earlier one of female patients had tried to argue that she was a “mental case” and different from us all at the Banyan staff. But we convinced her that mental illness was just that – an illness, and all of us were prone to succumb to it but still had hope because it is curable.

Back at the site of action, our fumbling but zealous members of Team Banyan were joined by the residents who helped the former clean and paint the place. As yet another coat of orange paint was laid on the wall; the smile it brought upon the face of the patients was priceless. Now that’s something called team work!

Soumya Raju, Jr. Coordinator of Mental Health Helpline was extremely tired having started work at 8:10 am. She is one of the key people who will be in charge of running the show from The Banyan room in IMH. In her own words, the room had been cleaned and painted at the end of the day, but her biggest reward came in the form of a hug from Sudha, a patient at IMH.

Instead of saying “no” and closing the doors, we found a way to open several others. One of those doors now leads to The Banyan: Mental Health Helpline project office within the IMH premises.

Come, visit!

D. Kavitha

Communications Coordinator/PR Officer

MORE POWER TO THE PEOPLE

CAN A ‘TRANSFORMER’…TRANSFORM LIVES?

……..Well it just DID!! The transformer near The Banyan village in Kovalam, just managed to light up a few lives around it and it has been named The Banyan SS1( read: The Banyan Sub Station 1 )!!!
 
Few months ago when we had been to the Electricity Board office in Chengleput to request them to set up a transformer near the PC, as the electricity supply in PC and the nearby vicinity was just 70 VOLTS( very very low), The Superindentent Engineer looked at us very skeptically and asked us if we were sure of what we were saying.

The SE stated that there was no place in the entire nation that had electricity supply as low as 70 VOLTS. and he felt we were talking without knowing facts.

However the Assistant engineer from Kovalam explained on the existing situation of very low voltage in the area, and the SE swung his men into action.

From then on after repeated follow ups and reminders, today the transformer has come up in the PC site and now the voltage in the PC and the nearby vicinity is 240 VOLTS…!!

The residents of the PC had a pooja for the Transformer!! along with the EB guys who got it installed..

The lights in the PC are no longer dim and we never had a chance to run the generator, and most importantly, thanks to this effort of ours that the entire village around PC gets to glow a little brighter in the nights.
 
Just wanted to share with you on how an entire community has benefitted for a lifetime with the interest taken by The Banyan ( especially Ashok Sir)!!
 
 
Porkodi.PL

Sr. Co-ordinator, CMHP
(Community Mental Health Programme)

When In God We Trust

Courtesy: http://www.thehealthblog.net/mental-health/religious-activity-and-mental-health/

Religious Activity and Mental Health

Written by Charlie on January 23, 2008

While we’re on the subject of mental health, I ran across a blog post detailing the results of a study on the correlation between religious activity and mental health. The study was conducted by Joanna Maselko, Sc.D of Temple University. She says that “One’s lifetime pattern of religious service attendance can be related to psychiatric illness.” Interesting, isn’t it?The results of the study indicate that women who stop their religious activity are three times more likely to suffer from mental problems such as general anxiety and alcohol abuse or dependence. However, the results are not the same for the opposite sex. In fact, for men who have always been religiously active, stopping religious activity would make them less prone to depression and similar problems!

Maselko’s explanation for this disparity? “Women are simply more integrated into the social networks of their religious communities. When they stop attending religious services, they lose access to that network and all its potential benefits. Men may not be as integrated into the religious community in the first place and so may not suffer the negative consequences of leaving.”

I grew up in church. I went to Sunday School weekly as a kid – actually well way into my college years, when I attended the weekly services. To be honest, I haven’t attended church in ages. I suppose looking back, the study does apply to me. However, I am sure that there are those who may not have had the same experience. Nevertheless, I think this study and its findings are quite intriguing, don’t you think?

That’s entertainment, folks! – IMH Movie Review

Dear all….

On 04.01.2008 for the third time we have screened movie in Institute of Mental Health. This time it was in male ward 6. I thought to share my experience with you all.This time we have screened Tamil movie “UNNALE UNNALE”. Me, Cibin and Rajesh reached there by 1.30 P.M. In IMH 1.00 to 2.00 is lunch time for the residents. So all of them were busy in taking lunch. We three were busy in setting up the things. That time one of the resident named Kutti came there and he was observing the things happening.In the beginning of the movie there is one song in which girls were dancing and they are wearing “Micro mini Skirts”. By seeing that, Kutti felt embarrissed and he said ” Indha madhiri padam podadhiringa sir. Asingama irk. Ponnungalku thuniye illa.” The way he was telling was so funny. The thing i told this incident is, it was indicating how shy and innocent he is.

At 2 O’clock all the residents came and started enjoying the movie. I was sitting in the front and observing the reactions of the residents. All of them were so happy. In IMH there are people who are staying there for last 30 years!!!! Just imagine there feelings….. They have not gone to there home and not met there family members. 30 years is really a long period. Can u all just imagine whether that person knows to smile???? What u feel….????? “NO”??? U r wrong…….!!!! I saw that innocent smile on his face. He was enjoying the movie….

At the end i went and asked him how was the movie. He said ” Rumba nalla irindhadhu Madam. Ninge yellarume inge vandhu ippadi edhavathu activity panna nalla irku madam. inneku na rumba santhoshama irke.”

It was a good compliment for our work….

Thanks for reading this mail…..

Regards,
Soumya Raju
Jr. Co-ordinator
Rehab, Helpline

Unforgotten Truth

 

 Karina Pandya

Karina.pandya@thebanyan.org

Pocketed away in the Thiruporur Block a section of society exists, ostracized by many and looked after by few.

These are the people who so simply lead their lives with no complaints, but so desperately need our attention and help.

A small village exists in the Thiruporur Block, called Kovalam where many villagers face problems most of us are unaware of.

In the heart of this village is a Mosque, i.e. a Muslim temple where men and women- of any religion or race; be it a Hindu or a Christian or a Parsee turn to god to pray.

This place is not only just a place to pray but also where forgiveness is sought. Some of the Muslim saints are buried within this structure. 

Another phenomenon which occurs in this Dargha is the presence of people who have literally lost all faith and hope in themselves and everything around them believe that by visiting this Dargha they will be relived of their pain. Many of these people believe that they have been possessed by an evil spirit.

Such people are the people who are facing; if not chronic but milder versions of mental illnesses.

Many of them wander inside the Dargha talking to themselves impromptu to the peculiar hallucinations and delusions that they hold.

For them escaping the voices and images in their head is a battle but they don’t know how to escape it.

Not only are these people found wandering within the Dargha but also healers who are believed to be people who possess the right knowledge to heal them of this ailment.

They thus are the cure to these strange mannerisms and are also found wandering within The Dargha.

There have been various techniques the healers have used to drive the evil spirit out of the body or liberate the soul.  Many a time beating the patient till the evil spirit is believed to be released from the body, or hammering a nail in their forehead or even pulling out the hair of the patient are done. However these are not so common anymore. Exorcism rituals are practiced in many other manners to liberate the soul.

But, the real problem is not the villagers but the lack of facilities and amenities they are getting. Education is lacking in terms of the right type of awareness and knowledge in the village.

Most of the villagers face severe poverty and thus cannot afford to send their children to schools. Thus a web is created where the choice is “To Survive” or “Not to Survive.”

Earning wages are not so high and the chief source of income comes through the livelihood of the fishermen of the Block. To realize this and start spreading education in places where it is needed the most can prevent this backward standard of living. To cater to the health issues faced by the local villagers in Kovalam a health unit has been established close to The Dargha. This health-unit caters not only to the needs of mentally ill destitute women but also to that of mentally ill men as well. Thus there is a link between the Village Panchayat and the Health Center. Issues such as Primary Sanitation, Cleanliness, etc are dealt with between the Health Center and the Village panchayat. During the daytime both men and women who visit the Health Center engage in vocational training and activities.  A doctor is available to offer his service to the Patients who visit throughout the day. Community Mental Health Program is a core aspect of the work of The Health Center. Here, actual home-visits are made to the patient’s house to fully understand where the patient is coming from, his background, lifestyles, etc. Thus investigations are made to understand the development of the mental disorder and how the right help can be received. 

Having made a home visit I landed upon Patient X’s home in Kovalam. On interacting with his wife I was briefed about his case history and development of the illness he suffered from- Major Depression.

He had been suffering from this since the past five years. Having a family of 2 sons,1 daughter, his wife and himself Patient X lead a normal life before onset of illness. Not having enough money to send his sons to school they were sent off to a government hostile for schooling. Only his daughter remained with them, enrolled in an English medium government school. Working at a general store close to their home Patient X found his way to earn a livelihood.  His daily routine was to work from early morning to night. His wife would pick him up from work daily at the same time of nine pm. Things changed gradually as Patient X began showing a change in behavior patterns. More withdrawal signs coupled with unhappiness; a phenomenon that occurred five years ago; when Patient X was only thirty years old. Little was spoken about this to his wife but all that was confirmed was a turnover in business with heavy losses. Having faced severe forms of depression from suicidal thoughts to prolonged states of sadness major depression was no easy thing to get through. However, on receiving the right kind of medication of right kind of help from The Health Center Patient X has overcome this

walk the walk, talk the talk

 

 Karina Pandya

karina.pandya@thebanyan.org

Tripped on reality – this year’s Mumbai marathon holds a special meaning to all of us.  

Not only are people from all over the world showing up at Mumbai but people facing various physical and mental issues will also join in!  

The Mumbai marathon being part of the top four internationally recognized marathons intends to be different from its other years. This year’s race or “marathon” is promoting peace, unity, and non-discrimination between different groups of our society.  

Suffering from a mental illness should not be a hurdle in one’s life and to demonstrate this some of The Banyan’s residents will be participating in this marathon with zeal and enthusiasm. 

The Banyan, a Chennai based NGO recognized this lack of awareness in the sphere of mental health. A certain section of our society suffers from mental illnesses and do not receive the right kind of help that they deserve. 

Having been in existence for 14 years, The Banyan has reached out to more than 2000 homeless women suffering from mental illness and re-united families across the country through its various projects   

The residents from The Banyan join hands to show the strength they exhibit and that they too deserve an equal opportunity to be part of the society. 

The Mumbai Marathon signifies a win-win situation and no one holds chance to stand place as a loser. 

Some might say that a race is not a race if there is no winner but at The Banyan every lady, every participant is a winner.

The Banyan Family’s Christmas Message

BRING LIGHT TO THE BANYAN’S 350 RESIDENTS THIS DIWALI

a thought

“There is nothing you cannot survive if you survive”

Robert Downey Jr, Academy award-nominated and Golden Globe winning actor, once drug-addict.

WE ARE NOT OUR DISEASE

does my mental health define me?

http://miquiecrew.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/138/  Thursday, September 20, 2007

Posted by miquie’s crew in health, personal.
Tags: depression, DID, dissociative disorder, eating disorders, health, mental health, MPD, people, personal, society
trackback

NO, IT DOES NOT!!!

i have been diagnosed (mental health related) with: Depression (Major),  Bulimia (Eating Disorder), DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) formerly known as MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder), PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

   

i have depression along with the rest of my health issues as a result of genetics. it doesn’t help that there was abuse involved in our life either, but the abuse doesn’t say that we were pre-dispositioned to getting depression. however, for the diagnoses of DID and PTSD, there had to have been something traumatic in my life – abuse.

 

my mental health is a part of me. i still have to live with it, day in and day out. i still have the thoughts every night of:

“Now i lay me down to sleep,
i pray the lord my soul to keep.
for if i die before i wake,
i pray the lord my soul to take.
… PLEASE let me die before i wake!”

we have said this poem, with the addition added on, from a young age.

last year we found out that my one uncle committed suicide on my father’s side, and i finally had proof that it is more genetically in our blood, than ever before. i know, we weren’t the only ones with depression. i was told when we were younger that an aunt of ours did try to commit suicide. don’t know how reliable that is, but that was something we heard a long time ago.

my depression is severe. when my depression hits … it hits hard to being beyond debilitating. where getting up hurts. where every night i say that prayer – just for the hope that we’ll be able to sleep and never wake up. and it is severe right now.

 

there is something else you should know about us …
we do have a life outside of our mental health issues. somewhere. somedays, it is hard to find life, but we do. on those special days, we do enjoy things like … writing, drawing, painting, doodling, TKD, playing with the dogs, going outside, being with CS, existing (somewhat), and trying new things.

we are human. we have feelings. we love people and things. we get hurt when someone says something nasty to/about us. often people don’t hear us for what we want, they only see the mental health issues. we want to try new things. we have bad days and we have good days. sometimes the bad days outnumber the good, but the good days are worth it. we like talking to friends. we like sharing our drawings, paintings and even our doodles. we like writing what we have been feeling and experiencing. we have more than one person internally and somedays it is a blast. other days, having the rest of the crew can be so frustrating.

see, we are human. please don’t judge us, for we have feelings. when you judge us, you are judging not only this body, but everyone else who has a mental health issue, and a good chance a family member …

we are more than our mental health. except that there has been this stigma throughout all of society that those with mental health issues are banned from any and all conversations of getting better and mental health.

 

the following is from CMHA-Saskatchewan:

“Mental illness is common. Statistics show that one in every five Canadians will have a mental health problem at some point in their lives.

Mental illnesses account for a large percentage of hospital stays every year. Yet, in spite of the fact that every Canadian knows someone who has been, or will be, affected by mental illness, few people know very much about it.

It is human nature to fear what we don’t understand. As such, mental illness is feared by many people and, unfortunately, still carries a stigma (a stigma is defined as a mark or sign of disgrace). Because of this stigma, many people hesitate to get help for a mental health problem for fear of being looked down upon. It is unfortunate that this happens because effective treatment exists for almost all mental illnesses. Worse, the stigma experienced by people with mental illness can be more destructive than the illness itself.

…

Words like “crazy”, “cuckoo”, “psycho”, “wacko” and “nutso” are just a few examples of words that keep the stigma of mental illness alive. These words belittle and offend people with mental health problems. Many of us use them without intending any harm. Just as we wouldn’t mock someone for having a physical illness like cancer or heart disease, it is cruel to make fun of someone with a mental illness.

…

People with mental disorders are, many times, not described accurately or realistically in the media. Movies, television and books often present people with mental illnesses as dangerous or unstable. News stories sometimes highlight mental illness to create a sensation in a news report, even if the mental illness is not relevant to the story. Advertisers use words like “crazy” to convey that their prices are unrealistically low and to suggest the consumer can take advantage of them.

You can help change the way mental illness is talked about in the media by speaking up.”

that is only in Canada. now imagine what the United States have for possible stats.

this ended up being a longer post than we expected. don’t know why it came up, but this has been brewing inside for a few days. usually when something like this comes up internally, we have to WRITE!!! so pardon us for letting this get to be sooooooooooooooooooooooo long …