- Odi gelisina manishi : Oka schizophrenic aatmakatha by Malla Reddy edited by Shobha Devi
- Manasika Vaidyudu lenichota : (Where There is No Psychiatrist by Vikram Patel and translated by Dr. Aluri Vijayalakshmi) Panelists: Malla Reddy, Dr. Vijayalakshmi, Dr. Purnima Nagaraja Chair: Dr. Veena Shatrughna
There have been few autobiographical accounts of mentally ill persons in India. The two accounts presently available are Fallen, Standing: My Life as a Schizophrenist, Reshma Valliappan, Women Unlimited, 2014, and Shadows in the Sun: Healing from Depression and Finding the Light within, March 2014, Gayathri Ramprasad (published abroad). Both however are written by women from a relatively elite background with access to resources from the West.
Odi gelisina manishi : oka schizophrenic aatmakatha (The Autobiography of a Schizophrenic) (140 pages, 1/8 demy) is a honest riveting account by Malla Reddy, born and raised in a Kadapa village, and who suffered his first breakdown in his early adulthood. He went on to survive five suicide attempts to emerge victorious. Compassionate doctors, access to modern medicine and an understanding family kept him alive and vigorously active. On the spectrum of mental health disorders, schizophrenia is at the extreme end. Hallucinations and strange voices crowd the mind, the line between dream and reality blurs to oblivion and chances of self-harm are the greatest. Malla Reddy’s book is a triumph of his spirit in the face of years of stigma and isolation. His story holds up a mirror to show all of us exactly where we as a society must stand in order to provide the care, compassion, treatment and basic rights that people suffering from schizophrenia or any other mental health disorder so desperately need. Malla Reddy’s account will resonate with the majority of our people who have roots in the village.
The second book is Manasika vydyudu lenichota (Where There is No Psychiatrist) (280 pages, ¼ crown) by Vikram Patel; this is a handbook on mental illness just as Where There is No Doctor was a handbook on general illnesses. It is a practical manual for mental health care for all those concerned with it, particularly in developing countries. After giving the reader a basic understanding of mental illness, the book goes on to describe more than 30 clinical problems associated with mental illness and uses a problem-solving approach to guide the reader through their assessment and management. The book has been translated into Telugu by leading writer, feminist and doctor Aluri Vijayalakshmi. She has also translated the all-time bestseller Where There is no Doctor. HBT would like to use both these books as pegs to highlight the issues of mental health and illness, and draw activists and writers (mental illness is disproportionately high among both categories) into a broad solidarity network. At the worst, we could organize a semi-formal meeting with speakers (Malla Reddy, Purnima Nagaraj, Veena Shatrughna, Dilawar…???). I wonder if we can have something more imaginative because this issue is so much in the closet.
-All are welcome