Our Crusade

ACMI is an advocacy initiative for persons with mental illness (MI) set up in 2003 by Mrs.Laila Ollapally, Advocate, KA, High Court and Dr.Nirmala Srinivasan, disability activist and founder of AMEND Self Help Group in Bangalore,India. By advocacy we mean, activities and strategies that can impact legislation, policies and programs such that it affects the quality of care for and rights of Indian citizens suffering from Schizophrenia, Bi-polar disorders etc. The results of this impact can create a framework of support for all sections of the population, cutting across barriers of social and economic status. We are striving to achieve an ideal where mental disabilities will be given the same importance as physical disabilities in our country.

The four pillar advocacy strategy of Social, Political, Legal and Media is the cornerstone of ACMI's successful initiatives resulting in action, however delayed it is. The four dimensional approach provides a sustained linkages between all the four to ensure the relevance of the policy to the practical and daily needs of care of MI persons. For example, it is only on account of ACMI's community projects such as ">KSHEMA and Uthama Sahaya, the lapses in community and family care came to the fore. In the course of our Uthama Sahaya projects, we realised that the services of providing Disability certification is scattered across many departments and delays therein. Also, the certification process was restricted to only one hospital in the city of Bangalore. As a result of this, the families were not accessing the benefits. ACMI's intervention brought in other new Centres for certification to MI persons like the Sanjay Gandhi institute of Trauma. The free ambulance service for Psychiatric patients run by the KA Govt is yet another example of our approach to advocacy and human rights on a "here and now" basis.

What is the difference ACMI wants to make?

ACMI studies the problems, needs and rights of the persons with MI at three levels of care - institutional, family and street care. So far, the differences in these three types of client patients have never been studied in detail. Each level has its own unique challenges for those experiencing it and hence calls for a specific approach.

ACMI basically wants to focus on FAMILY POWER. We believe that strengthening the framework of family support can go a long way in minimising street care and even institutional care. To the extent family is the backbone of support in India, ACMI seeks to educate, empower and enlighten the family carers through its multi dimensional skills oriented family package known as KSHEMA. Whatever lapses are there in terms of support for family care is brought to the notice of the policy makers either directly or through the Court.

ACMI is an action based NGO. The term 'community care' originally promoted by WHO still continues to be used by the mental health professionals to refer to all services outside the institutions and hospitals. In ACMI we prefer to refine community care into family care and community care. ACMI 's major contribution is to highlight the reality of family care as against community care in India. The family care model and highlighting its relevance to mental health packages and policies is our signature contribution considering the fact that nearly 70% of MI persons lives in their families. Drawing the attention of the policy makers to the plight of the MI persons outside the institution and especially under family care is the major difference we have made and still trying to make.

Our Appeal

ACMI appeals to the rich human resource embedded in the care giving families to come forward and initiate advocacy action. The other disability groups like the HIV/AIDS, Cancer or even the Blind, Hearing impaired, etc. have strong lobbies to represent their cause by the affected person themselves, their families or the NGOs. Our family networks and support groups are busy only as service providers. Even if a quarter of the 20 million urban family care givers come forward, we become a sizeable pressure group larger than many others. ACMI needs your support and strength. Family support and positive family environment is our biggest resource. Make it an asset.