PORTRAITS: Homelessness and Mental Illness

There are 42 mental hospitals in the country with the bed availability of 20,893 in the Government Sector. In the Private Sector, there are 5096 beds. These facilities have to manage an estimated 1,02,70,165 people with severe mental illness and 5,12,51,625 people with common mental disorders needing immediate attention. We have about 2,500 qualified psychiatrists to cater to the mental health need of the whole country comprising billions of people, the worst affected area being the north-east where less than six psychiatrists are available for seven States.

The essay traces homeless and mentally-deranged individuals living on the streets of Kolkata, India. Quality healthcare is virtually non-existent for these people. According to psychiatrists, homelessness is basically an urban problem which itself aggravates mental illnesses.

It is estimated that there are over 400,000 homeless mentally deranged people in India, and amogst them, over 90% are diagnosable and treatable. This photo-essay aims only to raise social consciousness about these people.