History of psychiatric rehabilitation in India

Psychiatric rehabilitation is a therapeutic approach in the management of mental illness which encourages people to recover from the illness and achieve their fullest potential through learning and environmental support. The method involves adapting the patient to his environment or modifies the environment to meet the patient's needs. The concept of psychiatric rehabilitation has a long history in India. In its difficult journey from colonial ages to post independence it has come across many hurdles. With the hard work of few pioneers, institutes and government reforms we have reached a significant stage today. We will discuss psychiatric rehabilitation from the Vedic period, ancient India, British rule, post-independence to the current status. Also covering the laws related to the field, achievements, people and Institutions involved. People say past is where we learn lesson and future is where we apply them. After this long fascinating journey through development of psychiatric rehabilitation in India, we can find that the development in this field is still inadequate. With multiple deficiencies in funding, infrastructure and work force this unique multidisciplinary field has a long way to go in this country.