Photojournalism nominee

Suffers from mental health are often neglected and marginalized. In rural India, there is still much taboo and suspicion surrounding those who suffer from chronic and acute mental health illness, such as schizophrenia. Yet mental health in a universal human problem, one that unfortunately is rarely given the attention or resources to be dealt with properly. The following series of photographs were taken in and around various mental health facilities in the state of Gujarat in India. These facilities struggle to cope with the large number of patients resulting in tragic outcomes. The subjects are all sufferers of mental health problems and all are in long term hospitalization in outdated facilities that resemble prisons more than hospitals. The aim of the project is to try and shed some light on an issue that is all too often easily neglected by the public and the state.