Schizophrenia rising in Surat

May 24 is celebrated as World Schizophrenia Day, but the importance is felt by very few few people, including doctors and patients who are suffering from the disease.

In Surat more than on per cent patients suffer from the disease, but the city lacks special and separate facilities for such patients.

Schizophrenics hardly know that they are suffering with the debilitating mental disease. Such patients cannot work, take care of themselves, have sleepless nights and gets angry and assaults anyone without any reason. Though these patients are mostly bed-ridden, there is very high tendency of committing suicide. As per statistics, 50% of patients attempt suicide, while 10-15% commit suicide due to the disorder. Almost 99% of these patients have some kind of addiction, which is difficult to remove owing to their stubborn attitude which makes treatment more difficult.

Kamlesh Dave, professor in mental department of new civil hospital said that disease is very unpredictable and occurs due to changes in biological changes in one’s mind. Even a working man or person with a healthy mind can get afflicted. Sometimes the growth of disease is slow, while a person slips into the disease immediately.

“Problem with schizophrenics is that they mostly defer from taking treatment due to their mental illness. There are cases, when patients have attacked their family members or relatives during treatment due to which they too slip into depression. In these cases, dual treatment has to be given (patient and relatives), which in itself is different from other diseases,” Dave added.

“Despite being a developing city, Surat lacks special and separate facilities for providing treatment to these patients,” Krutumbhara Mehta, prominent psychologist stated, adding that in spite of having considerable number of patients, there is no self help group in the city. Even many hospitals too do not have good facility for such patients.