About NGO:
Historically, people with Mental Illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc were thought to be victims of supernatural powers, sorcery or witchcraft. Treatments included the use of herbs, charms and prayers and moral or emotional persuasion.
The recognition and understanding of a Mental Health Condition has changed over time and across cultures. While the definition of a Mental Illness is debatable, it is generally accepted that a Mental Illness involves disturbances in how a person feels, thinks, perceives and behaves.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over a third of people in most countries report problems at some time in their life which meet criteria for diagnosis of one or more types of Mental Disorders.
In addition, the issue of Mental Illness remains grossly under represented by conventional public health statistics, which do not focus on the severity of the illness. Since a Mental Illness is rarely the cause of "death", its debilitating impact on a sufferer's life is not measured in statistics.
Any individual may go from a healthy and fully functioning person to a person dealing with severe and frightening symptoms of a Mental Illness. It is a confusing and scary transition, and it can be so sudden that it can incapacitate an individual.
The MANAV Foundation is a charitable trust under section 18 -19 of the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950. Our goal is to work towards mental wellness by addressing all issues related to adult Mental Health and to create a society which is "inclusive" and prejudice-free.

Fund Usage:

Often words like 'Mad', 'insane', 'psycho'- are associated with those who are seen as "abnormal" or "odd", but who are in reality, ill. The mentally ill, the emotionally disturbed and those with severe personality disorders are often given these labels not because of the manner in which they carry themselves but more so because little has been done especially in India, in response to the afflictions of the human mind. These attitudes that people have towards people with Mental Health problems means it is harder for them to work, make friends and lead a "normal" life. Ignorance of what a Mental Illness consists of, leads to actions resulting from confusion, fear, uncertainty, myths and misconceptions. The time has come to accept the need to bring about an attitudinal shift within society and establish mechanisms that will provide fair and equal opportunities to all individuals including those recovering from Mental Illnesses. These attitudinal shifts will only happen when people, both with Mental Illnesses and without, "talk about it".

Another important aspect is recovery from a Mental Illness. Recovery from a Mental Illness involves intervention that is multi-faceted. This includes clinical evaluation, medication, counselling, psycho-social rehabilitation, after-care, vocational training, and skill building, to name a few.

In light of the sheer ignorance towards the issue of Mental Illness, it is not difficult to imagine that these interventions do not reach those with Mental Illnesses. Those interventions, that do reach individuals with Mental Illnesses, are usually clinical and medical. Although these interventions are integral to recovery, they are insufficient by themselves.

Resources and services for those with Mental Illnesses are disproportionately low compared to the burden caused by these disorders the world over, making service provision sparse and often ineffective. Moreover, resources for existing service providers are extremely hard to come by, pushing the accomplishment of our goals further from reach.

It is for these reasons that we firmly believe that without support and partnerships, this challenge cannot be met. Platforms such as the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon present as ideal platforms not just to raise funds towards our cause but also to create awareness about the issue of Mental Health and Mental Illness.

Impact:
A client diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia joined the Manav Rehabilitation Centre three years ago. At this point of time, when the client joined the centre, he was having severe persecutory delusions related to his family members and thought broadcasting symptoms.

There was also a severe blurring of reality leading to a lot of confusion and aggression, ultimately contributing to low self esteem. Daily events would also become part of his delusions.

After attending various therapies conducted at the centre, group sessions and individual counselling session over a span of two years, along with family therapy which includes education and support to the various members of the family, he has recovered and has moved out of the Manav Rehabilitation Centre and is living an independent life, commensurate with life goals set by him during his recovery.
The client has slowly learnt ways to cope with his everyday delusions and has currently found a job for himself and is employed.

Page Url :
http://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/ngo47_manav_foundation.htm

Founded Year: 2004

Cause category: Disability