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Why the new Mental Health bill is being hailed by everyone in India right now


Mental health in India has always been greatly stigmatized. We are extremely judgmental of people who say they are depressed and approach a psychiatrist for the same. We talk behind their back and generally brand them as 'mental case'. It wasn't until recently Deepika Padukone followed by a number of other celebs disclosed being depressed and having various mental ailments that to some level it seems that we have reached a stage where we can atleast have a conversation about it. 

Recently the mental health care bill of 2013 was passed, that updated a lot of definitions of what constitutes mental health. It has been hailed by the general public as a step in the right direction. Here are some of the salient features of the bill that have really been appreciated by everyone.   


1. First and most importantly, the mental health bill decriminalizes suicide. Viewed as a revolutionary move, the bill acknowledges the various mental factors contributing to a person wellbeing and de-criminalizes suicide. 


2. The bill also broadens and redefies the meaning of mental health in India,  It is now defined as “a substantial disorder of thinking, mood, perception, orientation or memory that grossly impairs judgment, behaviour, capacity to recognise reality or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life, mental conditions associated with the abuse of alcohol or drugs but does not include mental retardation which is a condition of arrested or incomplete development of mind of a person, specially characterised by subnormality of intelligence”


3. Third, the Bill allows for an affected individual to provide directives pertaining to his treatment in advance as well as the determination of a representative to ensure that the directives are followed. This gives greater autonomy to the patient as well as takes away from the traditional conceptualisation of mentally ill individuals as unable to take any decisions or make choices. Source - http://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/the-mental-health-care-bill-covers-many-gaps-in-treatment-and-services/story-lu1PTh66GoXNDk5T5vN3JN.html

Source-India Today

4. Another big feature is that the bill allows for insurance in the mental health sector thus bringing down stigma and treating all mental health patients as regular patients are treated. 

5. The new bill also prohibits electroconvulsive therapy and psychosurgery. Incase either is required proper permissions need to be taken from district medical boards. 

Finally the bills also call for criminilization of inhuman treatment of mental patients in a bid to preserve the human dignity of mental patients. 


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