Care & Support of the Mentally Distressed

Working with CNMH has allowed the outreach staff access to various perspectives about mental health from different parts of the globe. They believe that they have learned many “helpful ideas about social work” from others which have contributed to their and CNMH’s growth. They believe that “a cordial and sincere relationship” that they and other social workers/staff of CNMH have built with the clients and the carers is the “foundation upon which the support mechanism of the organization(CNMH) is built”. This relationship-centered social work according to her is what other organizations can “learn from CNMH”,

                           “Our clients are not treated as individuals by society but as unimportant objects due to their mental health-related behaviors. When we reach out to them the very first duty is to build a relationship with them, but our relationship is not between superior and inferior but between those of equals. For this reason, we start by showing them respect and treating them like we treat someone we care about. Once the clients feel respected then it is easy to build a relationship with them” ( CNMH Senior Outreach Worker) 

The relationship they argue is not only between clients and social workers but also between their families and social workers. The clients and their families according to them are “not recipients of social workers’ help but are rather partners in their work”. They are very passionate about the relationship-centered model that CNMH has created,

                     “We are able to help a large number of people with mental health problems. We are focused on individuals and we help each individual by not only providing services to them but also by connecting them with a community that accepts them. We invite them to the community we have created where they have the opportunity to meet, interact and enjoy communal feasts and play games with others. During the initial stage, we (social workers) spent a lot of time thinking about ways to make the relationship of our community members deeper. The idea of going to picnic together or going to a restaurant together are some of the ideas that came up from among us to address this need. We had not anticipated that we would be creating a community. Still, we ended up building a community in which members have deep relationships with one another and they find a sense of meaning in their lives when they are here. It is however not just the clients, carers, and social workers who find a sense of meaning in CNMH activities. There are several national and international volunteers who come here as often as possible in order to participate in the welcome center programs because they claim that they find activities here meaningful and impactful. The community we have created is not like an office-based community but rather a community that is gathering once a week in an office space. Had it been a big community then our relations with one another could have been official and impersonal but because this is a small community hence, we have developed personal attachments with one another” ( CNMH Social Worker) 

Regularly visiting the clients in their homes and inviting them to the “welcome center programs” is one of the means they see as creating a positive environment for them. This however is not enough according to them because unless the attitudes and values of society change and become empathetic towards people with mental health problems, the people with mental health problems will continue to experience discrimination and be marginalized in society. “Creating a space where the clients feel safe and loved is important, but we should also try to change the attitude of the society itself”. The attitude of society can be slowly changed according to them by constantly being engaged with people from various sectors in society to create greater awareness among them about mental health issues. 

During our regular “ Welcome Center Session “ we asked some of our clients and carers about the factors that facilitate participation and that encourage them to express themselves. 

They thought in order for participation to work properly, they need to have a group of likeminded people. Regular communication with organization staff reminded them to participate in the activities, it also provided them with emotional support and a sense of belonging. They also thought the good relations with other group members also motivated them to participate in different activities like community events, rallies, marathons, picnics and other social events. 

In order to further stimulate the discussion, we also showed them a set of selected pictures and asked them about participation. Different nine pictures were displayed and they were asked to share their opinions on them. Some pictures for eg: showed Chhahari social workers visiting home to get updates on the client's situation; training of taking/giving medicines to the client; social events like fundraiser concert where a client also performed for the guests and going on a picnic, etc. group of pictures were shown and the interaction was conducted 

They said following things were important: 

1. Group unity 
2. Instrumental (practical) support 
3. Sense of belonging 
4. Interaction with staff/community members 
5. Family support/ sharing gendered caring roles (mostly female as a carer, socially constructed gender role) 
6. Create opportunity to attend social events and give preference for people suffering from mental health problems 

Some carers also shared their experience of finally receiving the social security card for their relatives with chronic mental health problems. It was a long participation process, going from one government office to another with disappointments many times, lack of proper support and facilitation from the government staff who were themselves unaware or apathetic. The intimidating questioning from the government staff taught them to be brave and fight their way to accessing their rights. They are now able to advise others as well if necessary about the process of accessing the card. It took them several years to get the card and ultimately they have started to receive some allowances that have brought them some economic relief. 

Some quotes: 

“ The government officials looked at my son and said he looked fine, he has no physical disability even though I provided years of his medical history” Female, Carer. 

“ I spent years participating in this process with my son, now that he has started to receive his allowances his father goes to collect the funds with him. I wished being a father he could have participated during the process” Female, Carer.