Doctors help woman with rare mental illness lead normal life

Kolkata: A 60-year-old woman from the city, who had been suffering from a rare mental disorder for the past 26 years, was given a fresh lease of life by the Institute of Psychiatry in the city.

Over the years, the patient developed some mental problems and due to her illness she started believing that all her neighbours were dead. She also thought dead people around her were planning to kill her.

She thought her husband, who was alive and living with her, to be dead and even suspected that he might harm her.

The woman was taken to the Institute of Psychiatry 17 days ago. She was under the treatment of Dr Pradip Sarkar, who is also the director of the institution. The woman responded to the treatment very fast and now she is completely cured, claimed the hospital doctors.

The victim's husband had taken the patient to many doctors but she did not show any sign of improvement. The patient was also taken to some psychiatric hospital by her family members but her condition did not improve.

"The patient had been suffering from mental disorder for the past 26 years. She has been cured within just 17 days as she responded to the treatment really fast. The patient was brought to the hospital by her husband. But, when she was asked who had accompanied her to the hospital she said that she came alone. When I told her that your husband was with you, the woman said her husband died a long time ago but he still lives with her even after his death," Dr Sarkar said.

The doctors in the hospital kept her under close observation and observed her behavior.

The cause of the problem was not determined easily. According to the doctors, sometimes such mental illness are transmitted through genes from the parents but environmental factors also contribute to the disease.

It may be mentioned here that a few days ago another woman from Ekbalpore was cured by the hospital doctors.