NiiRaa- A collection of very short stories.

A trip to a Pediatric psychiatric center

Living in a psychiatric center can make one realize a lot about life. One such observatory visit to a psychiatric hospital for a couple of weeks taught me how we take several things for granted. We never think about how day to day activities as simple as brushing our teeth or hair could be a challenge for a person with a psychological condition.

Observing kids from the age of three to fourteen years, living with different psychological and neurological disorders/syndromes like autism, ADHD, OCD, convulsions, bipolar disorder, depression and social anxiety, makes one realize how many of us take our "normality" for granted.

Being a consultant myself I was fortunate enough to receive an opportunity to visit a special ward where kids lived with their parents while being treated and trained for their conditions by pediatric psychologists.

Recollecting from my memory, the following are a few accounts of my observations of the children and their conditions.

At the age of three, Jayant, a healthy looking boy does not respond to his parents when called nor does he play with them or his peers. There's no eye contact with anyone as he struggles with social anxiety and autistic characteristics at such a tender age. In a world where parents are tired of their children's tantrums, his parents plea is to hear their child call them mom and dad just once.

Another child of age seven, Lakshmi, struggles with acute autism and spends about most of her day sitting and uttering monosyllables mindlessly. She does not respond to any stimulus nor does she recognize her parents. It's such a pity to see her parents in distress trying to make her understand that they are her parents.

Arya, an adolescent, diagnosed with ADHD and bipolar disorder is quite a friendly kid who loves to play and read provided he takes his medication on time. Due to his condition, he says being normal and staying sane is his biggest struggle.

A perfectly physically healthy boy, Arjun of fourteen, has obsessive compulsive disorder with ADHD. He tends to do certain things repeatedly without realizing it. He has been dealing with his condition since childhood, trying to overcome it has been his biggest challenge.

When a national level running champion falls prey to a sick minded group of friends who sexually assault the boy, the results are an acute depression leading to fatal suicidal behavior. Mohan- a loving son and brother, an intelligent student and a running enthusiast aspiring to compete in the Olympic Games since he was eight, met an ill fated incident.

His friends sexually assaulted him which came across as a shock to the boy that left him feeling guilty and dirty mentally. Hit by acute depression, he has suicidal tendencies and social anxiety.

Once known as the chatterbox, is now merely a mute and lifeless body found sitting alone in a corner of the corridor with no interest in doing anything. He has trouble making eye contact and socializing.

It's not everyday that we come across such children with sad stories of everyday challenges. It takes immense strength to accept, persevere and live with their conditions at such young ages.

Although it pains my heart to see these kids define survival everyday, it also makes me appreciate life more everyday now than I did before.