Interestingly, all of the six taluks in Davangere have now recognized many such individuals who have battled psychological sickness by community-driven rural psychological well being programmes backed by LiveLoveLaugh (LLL)—a charitable belief supported by actor Deepika Padukone—which is working in collaboration with the Association of People with Disability (APD), ASHA staff, and different stakeholders.

‘Awareness, accessibility, and affordability’

2023 can also be a landmark yr for the agricultural communities in Davangere for reaching self-sustainability in figuring out and addressing psychological sickness with the suitable medical interventions. The district-wide programme overlaying all six taluks in Davangere has impacted 2,178 Persons with Mental Illness (PWMIs) and eight,172 caregivers. The programme is now run by the native communities themselves after being supported for seven years by APD and LLL.

Anisha Padukone, CEO, LiveLoveLaugh, stated: “LiveLoveLaugh partnered with APD to kick-start the Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP) in Davangere in 2016 using a holistic approach centred around three key elements: Awareness, Accessibility, and Affordability”.

A charitable belief supported by actor Deepika Padukone—which is working in collaboration with the Association of People with Disability (APD), ASHA staff, and different stakeholders. (Express)

“Through a strategic combination of activities such as street plays, wall paintings, consistent training for frontline workers in mental health care, treatment access, livelihood support, and connecting beneficiaries to government schemes, the community has made significant strides in expanding mental health support across the district. We are delighted that over the last seven years, we have empowered the community to run the programme independently,” added Anisha.

From social boycott to supernatural intervention

For a few years, the agricultural neighborhood in Davangere and different rural sections of Karnataka has been grappling with psychological sickness and the stigma connected in the direction of individuals recognized with psychological sickness. People of Davangere have been topic to supernatural interventions and have been despatched to the Ukkadagatri temple, on the outskirts of Davangere. Here individuals have been made to hold 50 kg of stones on their heads and stroll as a treatment for psychological sickness.

While talking to The Indian Express, Nagamma stated Chandan’s aggressive behaviour in the direction of villagers was seen as an evil spell solid on the boy and as somebody who wanted ‘supernatural’ interventions to treatment it. However, little did Nagamma know that this was a psychological sickness attributable to the accident and was curable with easy medical interventions.

“My son faced a social boycott because of his aggressive behaviour and the villagers asked me to take him to Ukkadagatri temple to check if he was possessed by any evil spirits. He appeared normal and was free of any paranormal behaviour,” stated Nagamma.

Lakshmana and Ellamma. (Express)

Meanwhile, organisations like APD and LLL with the help of different stakeholders advocated the necessity for figuring out and curing psychological sickness on the taluk stage with accessible healthcare at reasonably priced costs.

She added, “This is when APD intervened and showed us the way and filled in confidence about curing my son’s mental illness with the right counsel and medication. It took my son nearly seven years to gain normalcy while he showed erratic behaviour at times. We used to spend nearly Rs 5,000 for medications and travel expenses when we used to consult private hospitals outside the city. With the availability of medicines and psychiatrists at primary health care centres, we are spending Rs 20-30. My son is now employed as a security guard and is contributing to the family’s livelihood.”

‘Don’t isolate us’

Diagnosed with schizophrenia after an accident, Lakshmana is now championing psychological well being consciousness in Davangere. From shouting at passers-by and smacking young children on their heads to talking in fluent English and addressing individuals with respect, Lakshmana has come a great distance within the final eight years.

“In retrospect, I believe that a person diagnosed with mental illness should not be left isolated. I lost my precious time of five to six years, doing nothing while my sister and mother worked in the fields to make a livelihood. As someone who has fought mental illness, I believe they should be engaged in some sort of work like herding sheep or farming activities. After eight years, I feel confident and ready to open up about mental illness and help people suffering the same to cure it with medical interventions,” stated Lakshmana.

Chennappa’s household. (Express)

Ok T Adhish, a farmer from Channagiri taluk who was battling psychological sickness, stated, “Two years ago, I fell unconscious and hit a hard surface, which gave me sleepless nights. I was feeling uncomfortable from within and succumbed to depression. However, with APD advocating mental awareness, I was upfront in admitting about mental illness and reporting about it to the primary healthcare centre (PHC).”

Wading by challenges

In truth, as a part of the programme, six ‘fellows’ are concerned in advocacy, spreading consciousness, and coordinating the agricultural psychological programme at numerous ranges. From serving to individuals with psychological sickness get their UDID (Unique Disability ID) playing cards for pension advantages to combating superstition in society, these ladies work on the grassroots stage to streamline the psychological well being programme.

“We face a lot of challenges in implementing this programme. First, the process of applying for and obtaining UDID is an exhausting one. While physical disability is visible to the naked eye, mental illness is an unseen disability. Hence, it is hard to convince doctors while assessing people with mental illness to avail pension benefits. Second, a lot of villagers become offended and try to attack us when we advise against superstition as they believe we are hurting their religious sensibilities. At the same time, the government also needs to make efforts to make available adequate psychiatrists at PHCs for timely intervention,” stated Lakshmana’s mom Yellamma.

Meanwhile, Dr Siddareddy, district psychological well being programme psychiatrist who has labored in Davangere, believes that within the final eight to 10 years the agricultural neighborhood in Davangere has made extra visits to PHCs for psychological sickness than visiting Ukkadagatri.

Caregiver speaks to the individuals. (Express)

Out of the 4 sufferers visiting PHCs no less than a number of are individuals affected by psychological well being problems, in keeping with Siddareddy.

“Although people who are religiously inclined still believe in superstitions and visit temples for curing mental illness, the trend has reduced over the years owing to the efforts by APD. We still advise such families to be rooted in their beliefs but also balance them out with the right medical interventions. We mostly see mental illness among middle-aged individuals because of social factors, lack of family support, poverty, and family issues among others,” stated Siddareddy.

Besides Davangere, LiveLoveLaugh’s rural programme outreach extends to Gulbarga, Belagavi, and Bidar in Karnataka; Theni and Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu; Idukki in Kerala; Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, and Koraput and Puri in Odisha. So far, 4,314 Persons With Mental Illness have been handled, 13,005 caregivers supported, and 21,079 neighborhood leaders and 3598 ASHAs have been skilled throughout these six states.