Mental Health Day: The Road that India Still has to Travel

Abstract

We have just gone through the yearly ritual of enunciating the special needs of the mentally ill on World Mental Health Day. Years of campaigning by human rights advocates have prompted the United Nations to recognize the human rights of the mentally ill through a resolution by the United Nations Human Rights Council. However, the sad fact remains that most countries in the world have not even seen fit to ratify this resolution, let alone treat it with the degree of urgency it clearly merits. The plight of the mentally ill is a matter of collective shame for the entire humankind. But the platitudes have not translated into visible benefits that have percolated down to the ones who need them. Problems also persists because of faulty planning and overall apathy. These have to be addressed head-on if we truly mean to improve the lot of the most disadvantaged among us.