Kaniappan – Nobody knew he could be treated.
Kaniappan is a 42 years old illiterate man from Kottamedu village, lying some 15 kms from Thiruporur SCARF Centre. When first met by a SCARF Community Level Worker (CLW), he was sleeping in the village garbage dump, dressing in dirty torn clothes, with matted hair and scruffy beard. He had not changed his clothes nor had a bath in the past few years. Upon enquiring, it surfaced that he was married and that he had a son, who was mentally retarded. The CLW also came to learn that his wife was employed at the nearby mid-day meals scheme centre for school children, run by the government.

His wife said that her husband had been a responsible and hardworking man, with a regular job, able to support his family till 7 years before, when the first symptoms revealed his illness. He then lost his job and started to spend much of his time in the garbage dump, carrying on conversations with imaginary voices and occasionally turning violent and abusive and throwing stones and garbage at people. All in the village feared and avoided him, including his wife.

Kaniappan had never been taken for treatment, as no mental health services were available and also due to the fact that his wife was not aware that treatment was available for mental illness. The CLW informed her about the start of SCARF activities in Thiruporur and offered to treat her husband, but she was extremely hostile towards her husband and refused to bring him for treatment. Over the next two months the CLW kept on visiting and trying to convince the wife to start treatment for her husband, but with little success. Then, during one of these visits the wife’s boss at the midday meals centre happened to know the situation and he managed to convince the lady to allow treatment for her husband.

Kaniappan was thus accompanied to and checked by a psychiatrist, who diagnosed schizophrenia and prescribed appropriate medication. On regular treatment over the next 5 months, he recovered quite well. He no longer heard imaginary voices or was seen talking or laughing to self, he was no longer violent or aloof. He had regular baths and meals and he also started living again with his wife and son. By the end of the 5th month he was able to take up a job and he is now regularly employed in a transport service company.

Sunderamurthy – From ‘temple’ therapy to recovery
Sunderamurthy is a 28 years old illiterate, unmarried man living with his aged parents in Mullipakam village, some 20 kms from Thiruporur SCARF Centre. He had been working as a goatherd prior to the onset of his illness, about 6 years ago. Since then, he became unproductive, constantly wandering about the village, talking and laughing to himself and hurling abuses at everyone he met. However, he was not violent and his family was not considering him troublesome.

He was initially taken for religious treatment at a nearby temple, but after 48 days with no improvement he was brought home and, since, remained untreated. The family was refusing any further treatment because they did not believe that the illness could be treated with specific medicines, and also due to the fact that home management of the illness was not proving to be that much difficult. Nevertheless, over the next few months – when they witnessed the significant improvements in other mentally ill persons being treated at Thiruporur SCARF centre – Sunderamurthy’s parents approached the CLW and indicated their willingness to get their son treated.

He was thus checked by SCARF specialists and prescribed antipsychotic medication. Then, he was followed up by a CLW, who regularly visited him at home to monitor his conditions and ensure compliance with the prescribed therapy. After three months he had sufficiently recovered to go back to his goatherd job. He no longer laughed or talked to self and was able to manage autonomously his daily activities. He is currently under regular monitoring and under maintenance dosage of medication.

Sambandham – Back to normality
Sambandham was a 41 years old married man, living with his wife and two children in Melaiyur village some 20 kms fron BNLS Thiruporur Centre. His village has poor access to any health services and has only two buses passing through the whole day – one in the morning and one in the night.

Sambandham was ill for 4 years and remained untreated, as he had no access to mental health facilities. His wife, who was a weaver like him, had rarely stepped out of their village and had no idea about how to deal with mental illness and where it could be treated.

When the first symptoms revealed the illness, Sambandham gradually started withdrawing into himself, stopped communicating with other people and spent much of his time talking to self. He gave up with his weaver job and did not do anything for the following four years.

When BNLS Community Local Workers approached the family and offered treatment, they readily agreed. He was thus checked by a psychistrist and prescribed appropriate medication.

Over the next three months he gradually improved and by the end of the third month he was back to work, weaving again. In 4 months all his symptoms regressed and he is currently going through regular follow-up and maintenance medications.