People suffering from mental illness can get special benefits like railway and pension from the Government. But, it is only for those who are chronic and above the age of five years. Such patients are also authorized for claim over property rights.
According to Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS) Director Dr Amool Ranjan these legal rights are mentioned under the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995 (PWD Act). “Such Government based certificates are made for these specific people by RINPAS. It also requires the sanction of block level officers after which a monthly pension amount is provided regularly,” RINPAS Medical Superintendent Dr Ashok Kumar Nag maintained.
Briefing on these special legal rights in details to around 200 guardians of mental illness patients being treated at RINPAS, Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Mahesh Prasad Yadav during a programme on World Mental Health Day on Thursday said, “Mental patients need to be accompanied by an attendant during a train journey. Such patients get a benefit of 50 per cent in their railway tour.”
“If mental patients are devoid of their property, in that case the property deal can be cancelled. Guardians who ignore their offspring’s mental illness and do not opt for treatment facilities can be put behind bars for six months,” added the CJM.
The legal rights include some rebate and income tax benefits as well. Central Institute of Psychiatry’s (CIP) Dr Varun Mehta informed that the disabilities act covers limited mental illness like Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder and Dementia.
In the recent times these three mental diseases due to stress are frequently being reported from eastern states of India including Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh at CIP. The list includes patients from Nepal as well.
Highlighting over this rise, Dr Varun on the sidelines of an interaction session on ‘Mental Health and Older Adult’ organized at CIP to observe the same mentioned global health day said, “Early identification of mental diseases are overlooked by the society. like hypertension and heart attack, mental illness can be controlled through medication, supportive therapy and cognitive processing therapy (CPT). Despite this fact, people presume that a patient suffering from mental disease can never lead a normal life.”
“Cases of substance use especially of dendrite within the age group of 9-11 years boys of low-income genre are also regularly reported at our institute,” Dr Varun added.