Local authorities say as many as 13 mentally ill people have committed suicide in the VDC in the past 10 years.

The mentally ill in the region are taken to shamans, aggravating their situation. “Taking it as an act of god, the mentally ill are left at the hands of shamans for years. After years of unsuccessful treatment, they are then taken to herbalists,” local resident Umesh Bhatta said.

Many people in area believe that mental illnesses are brought upon by bad karma. Bhatta said people do not even regard mental disorder as an illness.

“Due to such beliefs, by the time the patients reach hospital, they are in a state with no point of recovery,” he said, informing that there are around 50 people suffering from mental illness in Shreekedar VDC and adjoining villages.

Bhatta said people also do not want to come out with their problems fearing social stigma. Some of the common symptoms of mental illness include keeping quiet, talking without pause, using obscene language, shouting at night, staying aloof and gazing endlessly at one object.

Meanwhile, another factor contributing the rising cases of suicide among the mentally ill is the absence of psychiatrists in the region.

Health workers say there is only one psychiatrist at the Seti Zonal Hospital for the region and another nearest medical facility is located in the bordering town of Bareli in India.

Locals, however, stay away from hospitals as the health service is relatively expensive. Parshuram Shrestha, senior health administrator at the Regional Health Directorate, said the major factors behind the cases of mentally ill opting for suicide were social stigma, economical depravity, superstitious beliefs and lack of medical facilities within reach.