Psychiatric Disorders Myths and Realities (A Guide for Caregivers)

Knowledge of psychiatric disorders is inadequate in our country. So much so that often mental problems like hysteria, depression, suicidal tendencies and schizophrenia are considered as manifestations of evil spirits, fruits of bad actions, etc. Instead of taking the patient to a doctor, a Tantric or mantra-vadi is consulted.

This book seeks to provide scientific onformation on may common mental disorders like depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and mania. More serious mental disorders like schizophrenia and suicidal tendencies are also covered in an easily comprehensible manner. The author stresses that if mental disorders are recognized timely and treated correctly, personal, familial, social, financial and legal complications can be prevented.

The author is Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, University College of Medical Science, University of Delhi and GTB Hospital, Delhi. He has authored a number of books on related topics.

In our country, Psychiatry is still in underdeveloped stage. The knowledge of a common person about mental disorders is full of misconceptions. It is really sad that in the present scientific age, evil-spirit, devil, God-Goddesses, climate, astrology, luck, fruit of bad actions etc are considered to be the causes of mental disorders. Therefore, in our country, traditional therapist, priest, Muslim priest, sadhu, faked physicians, tantriks, unskilled sex-therapists etc are working as psychiatrists. Common physicians and specialists are incapable of recognizing mental disorders and referring them to psychiatrists. There are many reasons for this, out of which important are insufficient knowledge, insufficient experience, craze for money, deficiency of psychiatrists, stigma, poverty, inability of patient or his relatives to accept mental disorder etc.

The global burden of disease due to neuro-psychiatric disorders was measured to be 6.8% world wide in 1990. This is projected to increase to 15% by the year 2020. Psychiatric disorders account for 5 of the 10 leading causes of disability across the world. Mental- health disorders account for nearly a sixth of all related disorders. Yet we have just 0.4 psychiatrists and 0.02 psychologists per 100,000 people and 0.25 mental health beds per 10,000 population. The psychiatric treatment is available in few general hospitals. But mostly, the time of psychiatrists and majority of the fund is utilized in the care of drug addicts. Newspapers and audiovisual media has also failed in providing correct information about mental disorders. The result is that in people, the fear and lack of knowledge about these disorders could not be removed. To provide correct information about mental disorders is the first aim of this book so that mental disorder can be recognized timely and treated correctly and personal, familial, financial, social and legal complications of these disorders can be prevented in time.

If the popular misconceptions about the mental disorders in common public can be removed, the possibility of curative treatment becomes high. By this book, even ifa single psychiatric patient is able to lead a normal life, then this book will be successful in fulfilling its objectives. Important tips for caretakers and patients are given in each chapter.

All suggestions for future revision are welcome and will be duly acknowledged.

**Contents and Sample Pages**