The Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), formerly known as'' Hospital for Mental Diseases, Shahdara'', is a

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

and neurosciences research institute based in Shahdara,

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. IHBAS is the largest mental hospitals in the world in terms of number of patients served and area of campus. It also houses the state mental health authority (SMHA) of Delhi.

History

HMD

The Hospital for Mental Diseases in Shahdara, Delhi (HMD) was the final establishment built that started from a chain of lunatic asylums that were begun by the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

and

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. The building has been described as having "a flavour of a custodial setting". Service users with mental illness were accommodated in closed cells within high hospital walls.

IHBAS

IHBAS was established in 1993, in response to a

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

verdict, transforming previous HMD into a centre for treatment, training, and research. It is an Autonomous Society under administration by the

Delhi Government The Government of Delhi, officially the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) is the governing body of the Union Territory of Delhi, whose urban area is the seat of the Government of India. It also governs the city or l ...

. It has three clinical and all other para and allied branches.

Controversy & Criticism

Refusal to Divulge Patient Records under RTI Act

''The Hindu'' in August 2013 reported that multiple requests for a photocopy of medical records of individuals who sought treatment were refused by the ''Department of Psychiatry, IHBAS,'' New Delhi. The director of the institute stated that the verdict he maintained to requests for copies were upheld by Central Information Commission (CIC) which monitors upon the proper enforcement of Right to Information Act. The director also states that the medical records of the patients contained information about them by informants such as family members and thus could not be divulged.

Evaluation and Detention of Criminal Convict

In June, 2013, The Hindustan Times reported that Devinderpal Singh Bhullar who was accused in a 1993 bombing incident which killed 9 people was evaluated for more than 1 year in IHBAS, New Delhi there the treating psychiatrists concluded that he was suffering from severe depression and was not mentally fit for his execution in Tihar Jail.

References

Sources

External links

Official Website Psychiatry Clinic in Delhi
{{Authority control Mental health organisations in India 1993 establishments in Delhi Research institutes established in 1993 Research institutes in Delhi