Recently, the case of a 60-year-old man who murdered his wife has reminded experts of one of the key problems with mental health disorders: Patients often don't recognise it as a problem and people around them also put up with it thinking it's a habit.
The elderly person, Mukesh Monga, had a history of alcoholism and preliminary investigations reveal that he used to get angry at the slightest provocation. This affected his personal and professional life.
"He could be suffering from paranoia or delusional disorder," muses Dr Nimesh Desai, Director, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sci ences (IHBAS). "These problems, which end up in situations such as this, develop in adolescence. However, people usually tend to ignore them leading to serious consequences," Dr Desai informs and then adds, "Nearly 13% of the urban population suffers from a mental health issue, but only a fourth seek treatment."
Dr Sameer Malhotra, Director, Mental Health Behavioural Sciences Department, Max Saket, states that in India, people seek treatment for mental health issues only when the symptoms get out of hand. "I recently got a couple who had a history of abuse and violence against each other. Their family dubbed it as the usual `husband-wife problem' until the attacks turned bad enough to cause threat to life," Dr Malhotra recalls.
Psychiatrists say that most disorders can be controlled or treated if picked up in time."People develop personality disorders in their growing years," they state. A recent IHBAS survey found depression was the most common mental illness in the urban populace.