Increase in number of psychological ailments in Jharkhand

Ranchi, May 19 (ANI): Increasing number of cases of people suffering from psychological ailments has been recorded Ranchi.

Mounting tension of studies, limited number of technical and professional institutes, unemployment, consumerism and cutthroat competition are causing enormous pressure on people from different walks of life.

Such pressure is increasing the anxiety and tension among people.

The Ranchi Institute of Neuro Psychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS), one of the oldest mental hospitals in the country has recorded a sharp rise in the number of mental patients.

In the last eight years, the number of such mental patients has increased thrice.

According to the experts, mental patients are mostly among the poor sections of society, farmers and rural people. They say that the sole reason lies in anxiety and pressure, which occurs due to excess intake of alcohol and drugs.

"When a person is sitting idle, his mind starts working a lot and he keeps on thinking which increases tensions and problems. During the time of merrymaking for the farmers after the cutting of crops, celebrations are done with food and drink. People indulge themselves in alcohol and drugs and thus it becomes the prime reason behind the increasing number of patients," said Amul Ranjan Singh, Head of Psychiatry Department, Ranchi Institute of Neuro Psychiatry and Allied Sciences.

Most of the patients come from Bihar where unemployment and dissatisfaction are the prime cause of anxiety and tension among the farmers. Students hardly have any facilities for higher studies and youth are unemployed.

Ironically, Bihar does not have a single hospital for such mental patients.

The director of the RINPAS feels that government should start concentrating on the medication of mental patients as their numbers have started increasing in Ranchi.

"Mental patients can be treated but it needs a long period of medication. In that case, there should be one unit in every hospital of an area or district from where these patients can get medicines. Government should now also concentrate on the medication of such mental patients the way it concentrates on other chronic illness," said A K Naag, Director, RINPAS.

Mental illness is still considered a taboo in India. By Girija Shankar Ojha(ANI)