History

  One of the earliest references to Current Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences Kashmir is documented in the book “The Valley of Kashmir”by Walter R Lawrence. He says in his book “in 1892-93 that 146 Lunatics were treated at the asylum Connected with the Srinagargoal (current central Jail) This is in not an asylum in English sense but is a place where medicinal treatment for Insomnia &attacks ofintense excitement is given.”

                                                 Building Plan of Asylum linked to Central Goal.

In 1969 when Dr. ERNA MARTHA HOCH, a Swiss psychiatrist who lived in India from 1956 to 1988 was appointed as head of Department& professor of Psychiatry at GMC Srinagar, she was also appointed as superintendent of Mental Asylum which at that point got associated with Medical College Srinagar and was named as Govt. Psychiatric Diseases hospital Srinagar. Prior to this around 1957-58 the erstwhile Goal Extension for mentally ill was handed to health department for management where a new building was constructed by the Health Department. Dr. ERNA Hoch is largely believed to have set up a road map for modern Psychiatry in Kashmir. She started a Psychiatry Polyclinic at Psychiatric diseases Hospital and also at SMHS Hospital six days a week. Her thrust remained on General hospital psychiatry wherein she had 5 beds and two OPD rooms.She believed that most of mental health issues can be seen and addressed in the General Hospital which is now an established fact. Most of her work at erstwhile mental asylum was focused on improving care and human rights of the patients. She believed in biopsychosocial model of disease and worked on those principals to improvemental health care.

Patients in the Closed Wards of the Psychiatric Diseases Hospital

In 1980, Dr. ERNA Hoch left the hospital even though she continued to live in Kashmir till 1988.

In 1994 hospital got gutted in accidental/mysterious fire. It engulfed the whole hospital and in the matter of few hours psychiatry facility inKashmir almost seized to exist, but for l outpatient services and admissions for chronic institutional care in make shift wards& rooms. The Hospital continued in this form till 2000. The lostinfrastructure led to compromised care for patients with mental illness.

The Gutted Hospital Building

In Late 2000 MSF Holland  came to Kashmir  to work in field  of Mental Health , one of the things which became their  agenda was advocacy for rebuilding  the burnt down psychiatric facility. In that Connection they set up a counseling centre inside the hospital premises and reconstructed a ward in the hospital Complex. The Government also chipped in with reconstruction of outpatient department

While thepost-graduation course in psychiatry was started in 1983, like most of the courses in GMC Srinagar, because of ongoing political turmoil the recognition by then MCI was not sought. In 2006 MCI inspected the department of Psychiatry GMC Srinagar and recognized one unit of Psychiatry and permitted twoMD seat in Psychiatry

In 2007 the hospital got some assistance from National Mental health program for upgradation of Psychiatric issues hospital which was utilized in rebuilding/refurbishing the old wards and in setting up of a General hospital unit of Psychiatry at SMHS Complex.

 In 2008 Government of India invited intent letters for upgradation of existing Psychiatry hospitals as Institutions of Mental health and centres of excellence in order to produce manpower in mental Health and bridge the large gap of availability of mental health manpower. After a year of hard work in form of presentations, proposal formulations and visit of experts, the Govt. of India granted centre of Excellence status to Psychiatric Diseases Hospital in September of 2009 and allocated thirty crores for making of Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience Kashmir. This served as a major boost to mental health infrastructure in Kashmir

The Institute of Mental health and Neuroscience Kashmir is a reality today. Institute of Mental Health has dedicated bed strength of 160 beds, at two locations Badamwari and SMHS complex

ERNA HOCH's dream of General Hospital unit is realized, a General Hospital Unit    at SMHS  Hospital - A three story building operating General psychiatry OPD, De-addiction OPD  and inpatient ,Child Psychiatry unit, Auditorium and digital class room.

 The main IMHANS building is at Badamwari, housing wards, state of art ECT suit, 3 Tesla functional MRI, Auditorium, and Library. The campus also has wards for Long stay patients, Hostels for postgraduates, Registrars, consultants and employees