Politicians Call Each Other ¡®Mental¡¯ & ¡®Mad¡¯ While Disrespecting Real Sufferers, It Must End!
The Indian Psychiatry Society (IPS) has written to the Election Commission urging it to bar politicians from using words like ¡®mental¡¯ to describe opponents in their Lok Sabha election campaigns. ¡°The words used by politicians and persons with
The Indian Psychiatry Society (IPS) has written to the Election Commission urging it to bar politicians from using words like ¡®mental¡¯ to describe opponents in their Lok Sabha election campaigns.
¡°The words used by politicians and persons with social responsibility are discriminatory, inhuman and degrading over the rights of persons suffering from mental disorders,¡± said chairperson Dr B N Raveesh and co-chairperson Dr Suresh Bada Math in a letter to the ECI.
The IPS said it had observed many politicians and persons with political affiliations using the terms ¡®mental instability¡¯, ¡®mad¡¯, ¡®manasik asvastya¡¯, ¡®mental hospital ko bejna hai,¡¯ etc.
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¡°These are the persons with huge responsibility to conduct themselves as leaders of the people.
Their comments will be covered by print and visual media, including social media,¡± the Indian Psychiatry Society said in its March 23 letter. Urging the ECI to caution politicians, the IPS asked the EC to bring the matter under election code of conduct.
