About Tridal
Tridal is a rehabilitation workshop for Shubharthi who is a person recovering from Schizophrenia.Tridal means a ‘Triad’ - here a triad of Shubharthis, Subhankars who are caregivers of Shubharthis and the Society. Tridal started with 3-4 Shubharthis, their shubhankars and two professionals. Tridal was started for the nonfunctioning Shubharthis by their Shubhankars and the mental health professionals at IPH. Initially Shubharthis used to meet thrice a week for two hours in the afternoon.
Shubharthis started their activity by cutting vegetables and selling them in packets.
This was followed by different experiments in jewellry making, candle making, making garlands of plastic flowers, greeting cards, rakhis etc. Some of these items had were sold seasonally. Gradually the group started experimenting in making food items like Chutney, Bhajani, Breakfast Porridge Mix. It was a challenge to develop consistency in the Shubharthis to come to Tridal regularly.
Shubharthis lacked necessary motivation or urge to do something. Most of them were suffering from Schizophrenia for more than 15 years. Though having completed their education up to 12th or even up to graduation they were having difficulties in engaging in meaningful occupation.
Few of them had attempted doing a job for a short period but were unable to continue. Main reason being they were unable to cope up with the work pressure, work as a team member, develop necessary social skills or work with proper attention and concentration. Anxiety fear, lack of confidence, lack of motivation, lethargy added to their vows and gradually the Shubharthis started withdrawing themselves from social interactions.
They preferred to be left alone to themselves. They became more and more comfortable with their own self and drifting in their own world.
“Shubharthi” and “Shubhankar”
Calling a person Schizophrenic or suffering from Schizophrenia had a lot of stigma. We at IPH decided to call people fighting Schizophrenia as “Shubharthi” the one who is on the path of wellness and their caregivers “Shubhankar” the one who supports recovery.
- Schizophrenia is a chronic debilitating mental illness which affects the following areas of human life.
- Thoughts
- Emotions
- Behaviors
- Perception
- Judgement
- Attention and Concentration
- Touch with reality and over all functioning of the sufferer.
- Onset of the symptoms is observed to be between 14-24 yrs of age.
- Nearly 1.4% of world population is affected with Schizophrenia.
- Males and females are equally affected.
Any Shubharthi who is
- Under psychiatric treatment and is unable to do a full time or part time job.
- Willing to travel to Thane.
- Willing to give a try to come and learn different set of skills other than the education he or she has.
- Willing to develop new friends who will be empathetic towards him / her.
- Get a referral note from your treating psychiatrist.
- Get your treatment file for the first meeting.
- Fix up an appointment with the Tridal counselor.
- Initially Shubhankar can accompany the Shubharthi for few days.
vision
Tridal Envisions to - Reestablish the Shubharthis functioning.
- Develop a support system for the Shubharthis and the Shubhankars.
- Help the Shubhankars to come together and prepare the outline of the support system for the Shubharthis in their absence.
- Encourage the Shubhankars to come together and start support group and rehab workshops like Tridal elsewhere.
- Liaison with other support groups and rehab workshops working for Shubharthis in India and abroad.
- Develop an experimental assisted living model for the Shubharthis in urban and semi urban areas.
- Work as a cohesive team to de-stigmatize schizophrenia and to focus on healthy living with schizophrenia.
- Facilitate implementation of just rights of the Shubharthis such as medical insurance.
- Educate and empower Shubhankars in different parts of India. To help them start support groups, rehabilitation workshops in their areas.
Mission
Finding back the rhythm in life- Tridal was started with an aim to rehabilitate the non-functioning Shubharthis.
- Tridal aims to develop confidence, social skills, motivation to work, learn new set of skills to enhance effective day to day functioning of the Shubharthis.
- Tridal aims to de-stigmatize the mental illness by giving meaningful and respectable occupation to the Shubharthis.
- Tridal encourages the participation of non-caregiver volunteers in day to day functioning of the rehabilitation workshop. This helps to increase awareness in society and reduce stigma.
- Tridal team encourages the participation of Shubharthis to sell the products made at the workshop at different outlets / counters / stalls.This exercise gives the Shubharthis confidence to face the society with dignity.
- Tridal aims to share a percentage of the profit with the Shubharthis as an honorarium of the efforts that they put in to make and sell the products.
- Tridal aims to work as a group that monitors the Shubhankars expenses to get the psychotropic medicines at appropriate rates.