Mental Health: Gentle Refuge for Patients in India

By JOHN O'NEIL

n rural India, treatment for mental illness is more likely to come in a "healing temple" than in a clinic or hospital.

In a study published on Saturday in The British Medical Journal, a psychiatrist who evaluated a small group of patients at such a temple reported finding signs of significant improvement. The study, led by Dr. R. Raguram of India's National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, involved a temple in a village built 60 years ago on the gravesite of a man thought to have healing powers.

As in most other healing temples in India, no specific ceremonies are offered for a cure. Patients are accepted without charge, and each is usually accompanied by a relative who deals with the patient's daily needs. The patients are encouraged to attend morning prayers and take part in the temple's routines. While many temples use restraints for agitated patients, this one does not, the article said.

In the study, the psychiatrist from the institute diagnosed paranoid schizophrenia in 23 patients, delusional disorders in 6 and manic episodes in 2. When the patients left after an average stay of five weeks, their symptoms as measured on a standard psychiatric ranking had dropped by an average of 20 percent.

The article says that "the cultural power of residency in the temple, known for its healing potency, may have played a part" in the change. But it said that "the supportive, nonthreatening and reassuring setting" may also have contributed to the improvements. "In effect," the article concluded, "the temple provides the refuge suggested by the term asylum in its most positive sense."