Questions raised over destitute woman's mental health

AHMEDABAD: Questions are being raised about the actual mental state of a woman who was picked up from the Ahmedabad streets in a pregnant condition and admitted to the mental hospital here, a month ago.
Doctors at the mental hospital in the city diagnosed this unidentified woman as suffering from mental illness and have applied to the sessions court for allowing a medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) on grounds that she is mentally ill.
The woman is unable to speak any language other than Telugu and was brought to the mental hospital last month by the city police when they found her at the Paldi crossroads.
Following the court order, the woman was admitted to the civil hospital on Friday, where fellow patients and visitors who have interacted with her say she is not ‘deranged’ and can take care of herself.
She has refused to be examined by male doctors and screams if any man approaches her.
According to sources the court has ordered the doctors to ascertain the condition of the woman and take a decision on MTP after diagnosing her mental and physical condition.
When contacted, civil hospital department of gynaecology head Dr Malini Desai refused to give any information, beyond saying that all necessary protocol would be followed.
“I am unable to give any more information� she said. According to Radha Srinath, who works for a citybased NGO, “I know a little of Telugu and decided to help her and find out if she has a home where she wants to go. I tried talking to her, but she appears to have undergone some traumatic experience. She was shy at first, but later spoke a little, but refused to give any information about herself.�
Srinath added, “She said that she has no name, her parents have no name. She did not want to say where she comes from. But she appeared to know of all places in AP. I asked her if she wanted to come outside and talk to me, but she refused. She is not deranged. She can take care of herself. She seems to be aware that she is pregnant, but does not say anything more. It is possible that extreme physical abuse or mental trauma may have led to her present mental condition,� Srinath said.
According to another patient in the same ward at the civil hospital, the woman is “definitely not mad�. The patient said, “She has her bath daily, washes her clothes, dries them and folds them neatly. She even gesticulates and tells us that she needs water or comb etc,� she said.
Mental hospital superintendent Dr Ajay Chauhan says that as this is a judicial matter, he would not want to say much. “But the woman is suffering from a mental illness, she talks when alone and laughs when alone. She may appear normal, but she seems to hallucinate. Her behaviour is abnormal,� he says.
However according to sources, the Mental Health Act does not have a provision that says that a mentally abnormal woman should be made to undergo an MTP. “It is possible that her condition is due to physical abuse and she is under trauma. It may not be a case of genetic madness. Unless a medical test is conducted, no MTP should be undertaken,� said the source.