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National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences

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Type
  
Campus
  
Phone
  
080 2699 5000

Director
  
Prof. B.N. Gangadhar

Website
  
Official Website


Established
  
1925 as Mental Hospital,27 December 1974 as NIMHANS

Location
  
Address
  
Hosur Road, Lakkasandra, Wilson Garden, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560029

Similar
  
Christ University, Indian Institute of Science, St John's Medical College, Postgraduate Institute of Medical E, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgrad

Profiles

Introduction to nimhans 12th feb 15


The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience (NIMHANS) is a premier medical institution located in Bangalore, India. NIMHANS was conferred a deemed university status by the University Grants Commission in 1994 and has been declared as an Institute of National Importance by an act of parliament in 2012.

Contents

Founding and history

NIMHANS, a multidisciplinary central government institute in the field of mental health and neurosciences, was the result of the amalgamation of the erstwhile mental hospital and the All India Institute of Mental Health (AIIMH). The Institute was inaugurated on 27 December 1974, establishing it as an autonomous body under the Societies Registration Act to lead in the area of medical service and research in the country.

The Lunatic Asylum which came into being in the latter part of the 19th Century was renamed as Mental Hospital in 1925 by the erstwhile Government of Mysore. This hospital and All India Institute of Mental Health (AIIMH) established in 1954 by Government of India were amalgamated on 27 December 1974, and thus was formed the autonomous National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS). Recent years have seen discussions about opening another NIMHANS at Cuttack.

Organization and administration

National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences is a multidisciplinary Institute for patient care and academic pursuit in the frontier area of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences. The priority gradiant adopted at the Institute is service, manpower development and research. Multidisciplinary integrated approach is the mainstay of this institute, paving the way to translate the results from the bench to the bedside.

On November 14, 1994, NIMHANS has been declared a Deemed University by the University Grants Commission, with academic autonomy. The Institute functions under the direction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka. Several National and International funding organisations provide resources for research.

Increase in deaths

In its Annual Report for 2013–2014, the institution disclosed that the amount of deaths had increased from 720 in 2011–2012 to 741 in 2013–2014.

Criticism against Juvenile Justice Bill

Various experts hailing from NIMHANS, in May 2015, lodged criticism against the Juvenile Justice Bill, which was tabled in parliament. Preeti Jacob, from the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, was quoted as saying "Juveniles are less culpable and are much more amenable to rehabilitative efforts and thus should not be transferred to the adult criminal justice system. The assessments that are being proposed in the bill in order to ascertain the mental capacity to commit an offence are arbitrary and unscientific."

Disputing cause of death of civil servant

In, March, 2015, NIMHANS director commented in news outlets saying that a civil servant's cause of death was not suicide.

Detention and evaluation of whistleblower

In December 2014, it was reported that a soldier from the Indian Navy was being held in NIMHANS for a month to evaluate whether he was suffering from mental illness, after acting as a whistleblower. After the monthlong evaluation, NIMHANS concluded that the Navy personnel was not suffering from any mental illness.

Compelling producer to rename film

In February, 2014, NIMHANS approached the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce to complain about a movie to be released with the same name. Although initially, the institution was able to block the release of the film if it was named as such, subsequently, the film-maker was able to launch his film without renaming it, once the Censor Board and KFCC approved the name in its second round.

Involvement with aiding investigative agency with interrogation techniques

In July, 2013, NIMHANS came under controversy when it was revealed by Times of India that it was collaborating with the Central Bureau of Investigation to train its staff with interrogation techniques.

Involvement with suppression of Koodankulam anti-nuclear protests

It was reported by prominent news sources that the Central Government has approached NIMHANS to suppress anti-nuclear protests regards to building of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. The government asked NIMHANS to dispatch psychiatrists to Kudankulam to counsel protesters. To fulfill the plan, NIMHANS developed a team of 6 members, all of them, from the Department of Social Psychiatry. The psychiatrists were sent to get a "peek a into the protesters' minds" and help them learn the importance of the plant according to one news source.

Refusal to admit youth to intensive care unit

The New Indian Express reported that the family of a 21-year-old individual who died in NIMHANS, complained that, their requests for him being admitted to the ICU, due to his worsening condition, was declined by the staff. The youth, later died, after his condition started to deteriorate.

Negligence of hospital staff regarding mentally disabled man

An intellectually disabled man who was admitted in NIMHANS for treatment was found to have leaped from the terrace of a building. It was reported that he was under round the clock supervision, but escaped without notice. He was found lying in a pool of blood, and was taken to the Emergency Section of the Hospital.

Involvement in treatment of Bengal talent show contestant

In 2008, a reality show contestant, Shinjini Sen, after getting reprimanded by the TV show judges, resulted in temporarily losing her voice, and physical mobility. It was alleged by the media that the television show judges' behaviour caused such disability. To resolve her case, she was flown from Kolkata to Bangalore's NIMHANS to be treated for a neurobiological condition. The then medical superintendent told the press:

We can say at this juncture that she could be suffering from depression. Depression does not lead to permanent loss of speech or physical disability. We are diagnosing why that has happened. There could be complex neurological factors leading to such conditions.

Criticism of WHO report

In August, 2011, NIMHANS faculty criticized a report published by the World Health Organization. The head of the psychiatry department, S K Chaturvedi, said that the figures by the WHO were highly inflated. Where, in the report, it alleges that 36% of Indians suffer from Depression, the highest among all the countries, the NIMHANS faculty state that the incidence of depression is much lower due to a stronger social support system and family structure.

However, the lifetime prevalence of depression in India measured by the study was only 9%, and the figure of 36% was a different metric that was mistakenly reported as the prevalence rate by some media houses.

Directors of the AIIMH

  • Dr. M V Govindaswamy (1954–59)
  • Dr. D L N Murti Rao (1960–62)
  • Dr. B D Punekar (1963)
  • Dr. Keki Masani (1963–64)
  • Dr. N C Surya (1965–68)
  • Dr. K Bhaskaran (1969)
  • Directors of the NIMHANS

  • Dr. R Martanda Varma (1969–77; 1978–79)
  • Dr. K S Mani (1977–78)
  • Dr. G N Narayana Reddy (1979–89)
  • Dr. S M Channabasavanna (1989–97)
  • Dr. M Gourie-Devi (1997–2002)
  • Dr. D Nagaraja (2002–10)
  • Dr. SK Shankar (2010)
  • Dr. P Satish Chandra (2010–15)
  • Prof. B.N. Gangadhar 2016–
  • Similar institutes

  • AIIMS
  • JIPMER
  • PGIMER
  • SCTIMST
  • References

    National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences Wikipedia