By Ajeet Singh
Dehradun, August 25 (IANS): It was just another day of study at the government high school in Uttarakhands Raikholi when things took a turn for the worse. Six girls and two boys from Class 8 threw a tantrum, some hitting their heads on the ground and the rest screaming, shaking and moaning in a semi-conscious state.
Although a video of the July 26 incident appeared on Twitter, many dismissed it as a routine phenomenon. The focus was more on curing children with prayers and ancient rituals, than on medical interventions to help them recover and studies to find out the reasons that triggered it.
Psychiatrists described the incident in Raikholi, which belongs to Bageshwar district, as a case of mass hysteria or psychological disorder. Dr. Nandkishore, a well-known psychiatrist in the state, told 101Reporters that trauma, stress, anxiety, or something deeply rooted in the mind can trigger such behavior. Social customs, surrounding environments and difficult geographical conditions could lead to mass hysteria.
Nandkishore says: “In these mountainous areas, the lack of education, awareness and health care facilities impact social development. Girls are more vulnerable in that environment. Some rituals at a gathering and religious beliefs also reinforce the idea of supernatural personification or being in a trance “This could leave an impact on children who often see such practices. Such cases of mass hysteria are mainly seen in adolescent girls. Sometimes it can be an adaptive way for girls to express their anxiety or depression.”
Hem Bahuguna, a psychiatric social worker associated with Almora Medical College, explained how customs and beliefs that speak of being possessed by a deity or spirit can leave an imprint on children’s subconscious minds. “Many of these incidents did not receive medical attention or help, as people associate this with their beliefs or social prestige. The role of psychologists and psychiatrists is also neglected by the government.” he said.
When such incidents occurred a few years ago, they were related to stomach ailments. “The government in power then started a deworming program” because politicians linked the phenomenon to the physical health and nutrition of the students.
Sociologist Prem Bahukhandi said it’s a mental health issue seen mostly among disadvantaged children. “It is high time schools ran programs on mental health, but it is disappointing that the recent Bageshwar school incident has failed to spark a debate on mental health issues,” he added.
shortage of psychiatrists
Most psychiatrist positions remain vacant in health units across the state. An RTI inquiry by the Social Development Foundation for Dehradun Communities last year revealed that 24 out of 28 total psychiatrist posts remained vacant in the Department of Medical, Health and Family Welfare of the Uttarakhand government. Only two districts out of a total of 13, Dehradun and Nainital, have psychiatrists filling four scheduled posts.
In 2019, a State Mental Health Authority was established in Uttarakhand, where 8 members are to be nominated. But the authority is working with only two members. After the Bageshwar incident, applications for the remaining posts are invited. Similarly, the state mental health institute is working with only two psychiatrists and two positions are vacant.
Even otherwise, there is a severe shortage of psychiatrists and mental health service providers across the county, with only 0.75 psychiatrists present for every lakh of people.
Rituals take precedence
Although the residents of the hill see cases similar to mass hysteria as a regular event that can be cured through prayers and rituals, the district administration tried to project that the problem has been resolved and that everything is fine. Meanwhile, another similar incident was reported on August 6 at an inter-university college in Bageshwar district, where five girls started behaving abnormally. While these cases of mass hysteria should be examined by an expert psychiatrist, they are mostly handled through the lens of superstition or basic medical treatment.
Recalling the earlier incident, director Nirmala Verma said, one of the girls threw ‘tantrums’, which were repeated by the rest of the affected children. The next day the incident was repeated, in the same way. “On one occasion, the students’ condition deteriorated right in the presence of officials, resulting in a monitoring and counseling session,” she said. Despite medical help offered by visiting officials from the health and education departments for two or three days, the condition of one of the girls deteriorated. She had to be admitted to the district hospital.
However, Bageshwar’s additional medical director, Dr. Harish Pokhariya, stated that the girl’s condition was stable after counselling.
Harish Ram, the father of one of the affected girls, told 101Reporters: “My daughter is fine when she’s at home, but she gets hysterical at school. Since her test was normal at the hospital, we took her home, too. He attended school and appears to be stable now.”
He added that the school had witnessed a similar incident nearly three years ago.
Journalist Sushmita Thapa, who covered the incident for a media outlet, said district authorities were hesitant to talk about what happened, while locals thought it better to hold a puja at the school to drive away evil spirits. “In fact, a puja was held at the school, which shows that superstitions rule here. The rooms in the school are dirty and dark, with leaking ceilings. This in itself can negatively affect the children.” Thapa felt.
Meanwhile, Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar, secretary in charge of the Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare, told 101Reporters that he had already told the Bageshwar district medical director and made a note of the incident. “Instructions have been issued to advise the children immediately. If no experts are available locally, they will be brought in from Almora or Haldwani,” he added.
While mass hysteria is not a hill specific incident, Kathua in Jammu, Nepal, Vietnam and European countries have seen it before, it needs to be addressed by implementing a well thought out mental health program.
