Elderly in rural Haryana have a positive attitude towards mental illness: PGIMER study

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 8

A study by Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has found that elderly in the northern rural Haryana, in general, have a positive attitude towards mental illness and have a lower level of stigma associated with it.

The study was carried out at Civil Hospital in Naraingarh (Ambala) by the treating team of Psychiatry, which had received complaints of people not taking treatment for mental health-related ailments, and some being mistreated at home or visiting quacks for help.  

Methodology

One hundred and four adults, aged 60 years or above, from a rural background visiting a general outpatient’s clinic at the Civil Hospital as attendants of patients were evaluated on Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) scale, developed to measure the extent of stigma for mental disorders among the older adults.

The scale consisted of 40 attitudinal statements which were put to participants. They were further divided into four subgroups: Authoritarianism –view mentally ill person as someone who is inferior and requires supervision and coercion.

Benevolence – corresponds to a humanistic and sympathetic view towards sick mentally persons.

Social Restrictiveness – reflects the belief that mentally ill patients are a threat to society and should be avoided.

Community Mental Health Ideology – acceptance of mental health services and the integration of mentally ill patients into the community.

Results  

Over 45 per cent agreed that most women who were once patients in a mental hospital could be trusted as baby sitters, but 26 per cent disagreed and 3.8 per cent strongly disagreed.

Over 56 per cent agreed that anyone could be mentally ill while 57.7 per cent disagreed that the best way to handle them is to keep them behind locked doors.

As many as 36.5 per cent agreed that mentally ill were a burden on society, but more 45.2 per cent disagreed too.

Also, 59.6 per cent responded that they agreed that mentally ill are subject of ridicule for long, and 45.2 per cent agreed that mental hospitals were outdated means of treating the mentally ill. 

As many as 69.2 per cent of respondents agreed that more tax money should be spent on care and treatment of mentally ill while 39.4 per cent say mental hospitals are like prisons.

On not wanting to live the next door to a mentally ill, 36.5 per cent agreed but 40.4 per cent disagreed. Close to 27 per cent agreed that a mentally ill person should be excluded from taking public office, but 54.8 per cent disagreed.  

When asked whether a woman would be foolish to marry a man who has had mental illness even though he seems fully recovered, 47.1 per cent agreed while 29.8 per cent disagreed.

Close to 55 per cent agreed that residents should accept the location of mental health facilities in their neighbourhood.

“The highest score was obtained for ‘Benevolence’ subscale, which reflected a positive attitude of elderly towards mentally ill. The reason could be due to contact with a patient of mental illness or experience from the community,” said Dr Aseem Mehra, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER.

Dr Mehra is the corresponding author for the research paper published in the Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry.

Other contributors to the article were former Senior Resident Dr Himashu Singla, Prof Sandeep Grover and former Head of Department Ajit Avasthi. 

“There is much work still to be done in this field to make people aware about mental illness. A person with mental illness can live a normal life with adequate treatment and can contribute equally to the community like a normal person,” said Dr Mehra.