Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and homeless persons with mental illness in India

• Published in: Indian journal of psychiatry Vol. 61; no. 10; pp. 768 - 772
• Main Authors: Swaminath, Gopalrao, Enara, Arun, Rao, Ravishankar, Kumar, Kengeri, Kumar, Channaverachari
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd 01.04.2019; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd
• Subjects: Group homes; Homeless people; Homeless persons; Human rights; Mental disorders; Mental health care; Mental illness; Mentally ill; Physical restraints; Police stations; Privacy; Psychiatric-mental health nursing; Public health; Quality of life; Review; Society; India; Homeless persons with mental illness; homelessness; illness; Mental Healthcare Act 2017
• ISSN: 0019-5545; 1998-3794
• DOI: 10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_117_19

Homeless persons with mental illness (HPMI) suffer indignities due to shirking of all obligations by the society. In addition, the HPMI is denied all rights available to citizens, such as confidentiality, privacy, safety, right to practice religion, health, and the right to not suffer from inhuman treatment. In this context, the new Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA), 2017 has brought in a list of rights for HPMI, and this is a welcome sign. The MHCA has also taken away the mandated involvement of judiciary to provide care for the HPMI. However, the ground realities in terms of the systems and the existent infrastructure are far from satisfactory to handle the issue in India. The onus of providing care for the HPMI has shifted to the state, and the public agencies are responsible for ensuring the same. The article aims to look at various sections of the MHCA relevant in regard to providing care for the HPMI.