A COMPARATIVE STUDY TO ASSESS THE
KNOWLEDGE ON HUMAN RIGHTS OF
MENTALLY ILL PERSON AMONG URBAN
AND RURAL PEOPLE AT BANGALORE.
INTRODUCTION
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).”
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other
status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to
work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination. The foundations of this body of law are
the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the General Assembly in 1945 and 1948,
respectively. Since then, the United Nations has gradually expanded human rights law to encompass specific standards for women, children,
and persons with disabilities, minorities and other vulnerable groups, who now possess rights that protect them from discrimination that had
long been common in many societies.1
The Preamble to the Constitution of India assures equal treatment and equality of opportunity and status to all the citizens.
Every person with a mental illness has the same basic rights as every other person, specifically including the rights set out in the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the rights recognized in the Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons; that
discrimination on the basis of mental illness is not permitted and that people being treated for a mental illness must be accorded the right to
recognition as a person before the law. 2 Despite the adequate legislations, we often come across horrendous stories about the way people with
mental illness are treated in community and various psychiatric institutions. 3 Further, World Health Organization (WHO) states that we are
“facing a global human rights emergency in mental health” as many countries lack the basic legal framework to protect those with a
disability.4
NEED FOR THE STUDY
It’s estimated that over 1.1 billion people worldwide had a mental disorder in 2016.An estimated 4.5 million Americans today
suffer from the severest forms of brain disorders, schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness. And out of 4.5 million, 1.8
million or 40% are not receiving any treatment, resulting in homelessness, incarceration, and violence. So it is hardly
surprising that approximately 1/3rd of homeless persons suffer from severe and disabling mental illness.
A study reported in WHO, conducted for the NCMH (National Care Of Medical Health), states that at least 6.5 per cent of the
Indian population suffers from some form of the serious mental disorder, with no discernible rural-urban differences. Though
there are effective measures and treatments, there is an extreme shortage of mental health workers like psychologists,
psychiatrists, and doctors. As reported latest in 2014, it was as low as ''1 in 100,000 people''.
More than 450 million people suffer from mental disorders. According to WHO, by the year 2020, depression will constitute
the second largest disease burden worldwide (Murray & Lopez, 1996). Global burden of mental health will be well beyond the
treatment capacities of developed and developing countries. The social and economic costs associated with growing burden of
mental ill health focused the possibilities for promoting mental health as well as preventing and treating mental illness. Thus
the Mental Health is linked to behaviour and seen as fundamental to physical health and quality of life.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the level of knowledge regarding human rights of mentally ill person among urban and rural people.
To compare the knowledge between urban and rural people regarding human rights of mentally ill person.
To find out association between knowledge of urban people regarding human rights with their selected demographic variables.
To find out an association between knowledge of rural people regarding human rights with their selected demographic variables.
HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY
H1: There will be significant difference of knowledge between urban and rural people regarding human rights of mentally ill person.
H2: There will be significant association between knowledge score of urban and rural people with their selected demographic
variables.
ASSUMPTIONS
People may have inadequate knowledge regarding human rights of mentally ill person.
People who have knowledge of Human Rights of Mentally Ill will be able to protect the human rights of the mentally ill.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Section I: Reviews related to problems faced by mentally ill person.
Section II: Reviews related to needs of mentally ill person.
Section III: Reviews related to knowledge regarding Human rights of mentally ill person among caregivers and others.
RESEARCH APPROACH
QUANTITATIVE APPROACH
RESEARCH DESIGN
COMPARATIVE DESCRIPTIVE DESIGN
POPULATION
URBAN AND RURAL PEOPLE
SETTING
URBAN AND RURAL AREA
SAMPLE AND SAMPLE SIZE
100 URBAN AND 100 RURAL PEOPLE
SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
CONVENIENT SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
TOOL
SELF-STRUCTURED KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONNAIRE
ANALYSIS OF DATA
DESCRIPTIVE AND INFERENTIAL STATISTICS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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