While the passing of the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 was warmly welcomed and lauded around the country, more so because it decriminalised attempted suicide, we haven’t really seen its effect on-ground. That is, until now. It’s not surprising that Kerala is the first state to make such a move, but the state’s government has now announced the opening of special clinics in all government hospitals to treat people suffering from depression.

As per The Hindu’s report, on Friday April 21, Health Minister KK Shyalaja inaugurated two such clinics at the Medical College called Prashanti and Sarathy aimed at treating women and children. The report further states, “The Prashanti clinics will function at the Gynaecology and Obstetrics department at SAT Hospital in Medical College, whereas Sarathy, a community-based depression clinic, will function from the Pangappara, Vakkom medical health units run by the Community Medicine department at MCH.”

While women seem to be the target here, specially those during the antenatal and postnatal periods and during menopause, at the opening of Prashanthi Minister Shyalaja further stated that such clinics will soon be opened in all government hospitals, starting with 170 primary health centres.

Depression, mental illness and suicide in India has long remained a taboo subject, but it is a sad reality we need to start talking about. We all read about the 24-year-old who committed suicide at a Mumbai hotel after a Facebook Live stream, and almost on a regular basis the newspapers have reports on suicide and attempted suicide. The Mental Healthcare bill calls for the state governments to set up clinics and programs that provides all people with easy access to healthcare in government-run or funded institutions, but Kerala’s latest move is the first real step we’ve seen that takes heed of this directive. We await the rest of the country to follow suit, to help people of all ages, classes, castes and creeds to deal and cope with mental illness.

Representational feature photograph by Stuart Freedman from the series ‘Shadow People’