Thread by @netshrink

1.THREAD: IMP for India's #mentalhealth sector. Info in tweet below ("Due to lack of objective method to establish presence & extent of #mentalillness")raises Q of validity of Indian Psychiatry & Qs for MCI BOG. Also bad in Law. Hope @ProfBhargava will read & initiate action..!

https://twitter.com/drsitu/status/1114203457936855040

2. Some Background: persons with #mentalillness are entitled to disability quota in medical admissions as per Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. MCI BOG has now issued a Gazette notification stating that persons with #mentalillness will not be allowed this benefit because..

according to MCI BOG " due to lack of objective method to establish presence & extent of #mentalillness " @drsitu claims this was opinion of AIIMS Delhi psychiatrist who advised the BOG. This raises important Qs
i) For Indian psychiatry: do we accept this assertion?...contd

If we accept this, we are fundamentally accepting there is no objective basis for psychiatric diagnosis!
ii) Q for BOG : Irrespective of advice given, Prof Gangadhar, Director NIMHANS is member BOG. Are we to assume that Prof Gangadhar also agrees with this position?..contd

Why do I say it is bad in law? Mental Health Care Act 2017 Sec 3 says "Mental illness shall be determined in accordance with such nationally or
internationally accepted medical standards (incl latest edition of ICD of the WHO) as may be notified by the Central
Government"..So

law clearly accepts there is are objective criteria for diagnosis of #mentalillness . The BOG Gazette notification is therefore violating the Mental Health Care Act 2017.
Also, if this BOG assertion is accepted, same justification can be used to deny pers with #mentalillness ...

all other such quotas in employment, other educational institutions etc, thus frustrating the purpose & will of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.
The BOG assertion is also wrong because there is a validated scale IDEAS... contd

which has been used to QUANTIFY extent of disability due to #mentalillness . It has been used for >20 yrs to issue disability certificates even under the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 & the RPD Act now, which require quantification of disability to issue certificate..contd

The mental health sector has fought long and hard to ensure disability benefits for persons with #mentalillness . MCI BOG Gazette notification now threatens to undo all this hard work.
I REQUEST THE MCI BOG TO WITHDRAW THIS GAZETTE NOTIFICATION.

PL read above thread & RT: @AmritSAA @VijayNallawala @tandutt @EqualsCPSJ @MumbaiCentral @mariwalahealth @AnantBhan @drsitu @NPRD_IN @DorodiSharma @DesirajuKeshav @kirpvc @AnjaliMHR @PatientsEngage @banyanbalm @SangathGoa @abhiloquacious @toymango @AdvGauravKumar @akhileshlinky

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