Karnataka wants to integrate mental health care with the treatment process for tuberculosis
In India, managing the stigma of a disease often becomes more important than the actual treatment of it. And that, coupled with drug-related side effects may trigger mental health issues. Take something like tuberculosis (TB). In 2017, there were 80,000 new cases of TB in Karnataka. A diagnosis of TB spells isolation for the patients in many places still. Most people do not care that although it is contagious, it is not easy to catch TB. And if it is a drug-resistant strain, particularly, multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) then there’s stigma, isolation, lack of information, and a longer medical regimen to handle.
The accepted regimen for the treatment of TB lasts for six months. But patients with MDR-TB are put on category IV drugs for two years. This includes six drugs with injections for six months and four oral pills daily for the next 18 months. The side effects of these drugs trigger nausea, vomiting and in extreme cases, suicidal tendencies. Experts in the health department point out that many male MDR-TB patients under treatment have to deal with alcohol and nicotine withdrawal symptoms too. When the usual stigma about tuberculosis adds to this, and that too for two years at least, one can imagine the state of mind the patient is reduced to.
In 2017, 18,495 people were found to suffer from drug-resistant TB in Karnataka. Of them, 1,182 had MDR-TB. “We noticed increased numbers of MDR-TB patients coming to our counselling centres with issues related to mental health. Patients with MDR TB have to undergo a rigorous treatment schedule, which is quite cumbersome and at times, the drugs also have side effects giving rise to mental health problems in such patients,” explained Dr Rajani D, from the state mental health department. The department is considering integrating mental health care with TB treatment process.
In India, managing the stigma of a disease often becomes more important than the actual treatment of it. And that, coupled with drug-related side effects may trigger mental health issues. Take something like tuberculosis (TB). In 2017, there were 80,000 new cases of TB in Karnataka. A diagnosis of TB spells isolation for the patients in many places still. Most people do not care that although it is contagious, it is not easy to catch TB. And if it is a drug-resistant strain, particularly, multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) then there’s stigma, isolation, lack of information, and a longer medical regimen to handle.
In 2017, 18,495 people were found to suffer from drug-resistant TB in Karnataka. Of them, 1,182 had MDR-TB. “We noticed increased numbers of MDR-TB patients coming to our counselling centres with issues related to mental health. Patients with MDR TB have to undergo a rigorous treatment schedule, which is quite cumbersome and at times, the drugs also have side effects giving rise to mental health problems in such patients,” explained Dr Rajani D, from the state mental health department. The department is considering integrating mental health care with TB treatment process.
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