A resident of Mental Health Centre, Peroorkada, for the past six months, the lean and presentable 40-year-old man wanted to go home and be reunited with his family. His family, though, was torn. Past experience had taught them that he could not stay away from drink.
He has a condition called alcohol use disorder. He may go months or even a year without one, but then relapse and turn into someone who was a far cry from a beloved husband or father.
His wife said that since he had no savings, she and her two children were living with their mother. Taking him back, without asking her mother or other close relatives, was impossible.
He promised he would not touch a drop of drink, would go to work and listen to her, the wife said. She said she wanted to believe him, but even her children could attest to the fact that he could not be trusted to stay sober. His mother and siblings did not want to have anything to do with him, pointed out.
Finally, it was decided that he would be accommodated at Karuna Sai, a deaddiction and mental health centre at Vellanad, till his wife and children moved into a rented house where they could all stay together.
Manonyay-Nilavu
Seven other residents of the Peroorkada mental health centre who were fit for discharge were sent to live with their families or in psychosocial institutions following an adalat conducted by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) as part of Manonyay-Nilavu schemes of the National Legal Services Authority (NLSA) and the DLSA for rehabilitation and repatriation of the mentally ill and the Harmony Hub programme for resolving issues in relationships through mediation.
The adalat on Tuesday was presided over by S. Shamnad, senior civil judge and DLSA secretary. Seven DLSA panel lawyers assisted with the adalat.
In many cases, families were reluctant to take back the residents, most of them men, even though they were fit for discharge. They claimed that once back, the men would stop taking medicines and become violent with them. Others claimed they had no one ready to take care of the patient full time. Some had to be sternly reminded that not only their peace of mind but also that of the patient mattered.
In one case, the family of a patient who had been living at the hospital for a year said they were trying to find a suitable accommodation for him since they themselves were old and not well enough to take care of him. His brother-in-law said they had been living with his mental health condition since 2010. His wife, who mostly looked after him, was bedridden. Another sibling was aged 87. He himself was a heart patient. They needed some time to locate a home for the man.
The adalat then decided to accommodate him temporarily at the district panchayat’s Sradha care home at Venjaramoodu.
Tears flowed, helplessness raged silent, and rage vented itself at the adalat as families tried to come to terms with their emotions.
One elderly woman was taken home by her daughter. The daughter told the adalat that her father had agreed to take care of his wife.
In all, four patients went home to live with their families.
Published – October 28, 2025 11:08 pm IST
