Govt. Institute of Mental Health Hyderabad

It started as custodial care asylum in 1953 it transformed itself into Government Hospital for Mental Care in 60s and later attained the status of Institute in 70s, with addition of UG and PG training in psychiatry and as a research nodal centre in 2000(21st Century). The products of the Institute are all over the state, the country and the world doing their best for the psychiatrically ill in the society. The increase in the patient strength of the Hospital from all over the state and neighbouring districts of Karnataka and Maharashtra is an indicator of the quality services rendered by the Institute. The Institute has become a nodal centre for the National Mental Health Programs of the state as well as a recognized centre for carrying out WHO sponsored psycho-social support programs like Training of Private Psychiatrists in common psychiatric disorders, suicide and disaster management, and a Centre for Research.

The unfolding of this Hospital into an Institute of Excellence for mental Health, has been in line with the development of Mental Health Delivery System in India. The Institute started community Health Services in 1980 at Shankerpally, Medak much before the implementation of National Mental Health Program (1982). This shows the vision of Dr. P. Raghurami Reddy, to reach mental Health to the unreached, disadvantaged mentally ill population in rural areas.

Again the Institute has a distinction of opening family wards and open wards, involving the family members in treatment as early as 1985, which has been recommendation of NHRC in 1999. The staff, faculty and the superintendent of the institute took initiative to trace majority of the families of chronically ill mental patients slogging in the wards and helped them reach their families in 1986.

The Institute religiously followed admission discharge procedures as per the MHA 1987 since the last decade and taken the valuable guidance, co-operation of AP State Legal service authorities following the visit of Hon’ble Justice Sri Bilal Nazki in 2005. The APSLSA has been rendering great help in hastening the discharge of patients giving utmost importance to their Human Rights. They have been participating in world mental Health Week celebrations every year.

Following the recommendations of Supreme Court the Institute opened separate wards for criminal patients and cases admitted through MHA in 2002. It has been running a separate Quarter Way Home for the orphan, recovered mentally ill in the campus since 2002 without any extra staff.

With the initiative and help from the district Collector Sri Chandravadan and Member Secretary APSLSA Sri Vaidya Prasad and his members, the Institute has adopted away 9 chronically mentally ill manageable patients to certain NGOs like Saint Theresa’s Home, ANGOS and Government run state Homes. The idea behind this is the philosophy of the protecting human rights of mentally ill as well as their rehabilitation and involvement of community- which is the ideology of NMHP. It paved way for other NGOs to adopt recovered destitute mentally ill persons. Under the guidance of Sri.Subrahmanyam, present Member Secretary, A.P.S.L.S.A, 6 more patients were adopted by PADS, Warangal.

The office of the Member Secretary of the AP State Mental Health Authority was established in the Institute in 1997 to take up developmental, monitoring aspects of mental health issues of the state after formulating mental health rules. It has been instrumental in getting central assistance from Govt. of India for most of the Medical Colleges and Mental Hospitals of the state. Institute of Mental Health has been designated as nodal office for issuing the disability certificates for mental retardation and mental illnesses. Since 1995, following Persons with Disability Act 1995, the Institute has been helping them in getting benefits both through the institute as well as through the disability camps. The Institute has proved to the society that it is not the buildings but the sincere, collective efforts of the mental health professionals which brings solace to the mentally ill and laurels to the institute. The Institute all through has constant endeavor to improve the services and quality of life to unfortunate victims of mental illness. I feel happy and proud as well to be the Head of the Institute and have been a witness to the palpable growth and development of the Institute for the past 23 years. It has been my proud privilege to compile and incorporate the views and experiences of the senior faculty and the past superintendents of the Institute who are instrumental in its growth and development.