0 
0 By RAMESH KUMARAN
I have observed that social media in India gives a very distorted image about psychiatry patients. In our films they are shown as comic characters or as criminals for the audience to jeer at them.
And that is exactly what they do in public life,after coming under the influence of such Indian films.At the other end there is under reporting of any harm done to psychiatry patients by the public,psychiatrists,hospital staff,family members or by the employers.When the new Mental health bill was passed recently,less than 50% of the ministers were present in our parliament and hardly 2 or 3 ministers participated in the discussion.
This discussion was available in the social media.Only on very rare occasion has the print media come out with reports of gross human rights violations and atrocities in mental health institutions against the patients.Therefore Indians are unaware that people with mental health issues are living alongside with them,invisible.
Or they are feigning ignorance about it.Psychiatrists very rarely talk about mental health issues with the social media. It’s a taboo for them as well,imposed by our “ancient culture,tradition and spiritualism” to speak about it.But they want the patients to speak openly,which implies a breach of confidence.If they do observe mental health day,the news is not covered adequately.
UNITED STATES
UNITED KINGDOM
