What the High Court Found at Trivandrum’s Mental Health Centre and What It Means for All of Us
Mental health support in Trivandrum became a topic of urgent public conversation on July 21, 2026, when two Kerala High Court judges visited the Thiruvananthapuram Mental Health Centre at Peroorkada and were visibly shaken by what they found.
Justices Devan Ramachandran and Basant Balaji described their experience in measured but deeply serious language. “It deeply concerned us, to say the least,” the judges wrote in their order. What they documented inside that 31-acre campus has significant implications not just for the Centre’s patients, but for how we understand the availability and quality of mental health support in Trivandrum more broadly.
What the High Court Judges Found at Mental Health Centre Peroorkada
The judges’ visit revealed multiple serious failures at the Thiruvananthapuram Mental Health Centre. The Centre has 531 beds and 437 patients. Of these, 55 patients are ready for discharge but cannot leave because their families are unwilling to take them back.
The staffing situation was severe. There are 158 sanctioned posts of attenders, but the Centre has only 127, and these staff members are also required to cook, clean, and chaperone patients simultaneously. The Centre had no dedicated cooks, insufficient drivers, and only one security sergeant for a perimeter that requires a minimum of 40 to 50 security personnel, particularly because large stretches of the campus have no fencing or compound wall.
The infrastructure was equally troubling. Two buildings inside the Centre remain half-constructed, one intended to be a modern male psychiatric ward and the other a halfway home to help recovered patients reintegrate into society. The roads inside the campus were described by the judges as pitiable, dangerous even for able-bodied visitors, let alone patients.
However, the most distressing finding was about the patients themselves. The judges observed that most patients, if not all, were confined to their rooms or cells which were locked, despite the campus having ample open space. They witnessed men and women walking up and down restlessly, many of them requesting to be set free.
“We are not sure how the patients can improve if they are confined to spaces like this,” the judges said.
Following the visit, the Kerala government committed to a masterplan for the Centre, with Health Minister K Muraleedharan promising to honour all the directives issued by the court.
What This Tells Us About Mental Health Support in Trivandrum
The conditions at the Peroorkada Centre are not an isolated administrative failure. They reflect a structural reality about public mental health infrastructure across Kerala that has been documented in research for years.
A BMC Public Health study tracking Kerala’s mental health burden found that the number of individuals with mental health illness in the state increased from 272 per hundred thousand to 400 per hundred thousand between 2002 and 2018. Meanwhile, the National Mental Health Survey identified gaps in service delivery, a lack of mental health awareness, and the urgent need for more expert mental health professionals and specialised facilities across Kerala.
The demand for mental health support in Trivandrum has grown significantly. The public infrastructure available has not kept pace. The events at Peroorkada make this gap visible in a way that demands honest acknowledgement.
Furthermore, the condition of the Centre raises a more immediate and personal question for many families in Trivandrum. What does mental health care actually look like for the majority of people who need it? And what are the options when public facilities are overwhelmed?
What This Means for Families Seeking Mental Health Support
It is important to say clearly that the Peroorkada Mental Health Centre serves a specific population, those with severe and chronic psychiatric conditions who require inpatient care. The Centre’s challenges are a systemic issue that requires government action, as the High Court has now demanded.
However, for the much larger group of people in Trivandrum experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, relationship difficulties, or family conflict, the most effective and accessible form of support is outpatient counselling with a qualified private psychologist. This is an entirely different form of care from inpatient psychiatric treatment, and it is both available and effective.
Moreover, the High Court’s intervention is a reminder of something that research has consistently shown: mental health conditions do not improve on their own when left without support. Early intervention with professional counselling prevents the escalation of manageable difficulties into crises that require more intensive care.
The Role of Private Counselling in Trivandrum
The events at Peroorkada are a call for better public mental health infrastructure. They are also a reminder that qualified, accessible, private counselling in Trivandrum plays a critical role in the city’s mental health ecosystem.
When someone in Trivandrum seeks help early, when they find a qualified psychologist and begin working through what they are experiencing before it becomes a crisis, they are protecting themselves from outcomes that are far more difficult to reverse. Online therapy has also expanded access significantly, allowing people across Kerala and NRI clients worldwide to access professional support without geographic barriers.
Mental Health Support in Trivandrum With Rajula Maniyeri
Rajula Maniyeri is an RCI licensed lady psychologist in Trivandrum offering professional counselling for individuals, children, couples, and families. Her services include anxiety counselling, depression counselling, stress counselling, relationship and family counselling, and online therapy in Malayalam and English.
Sessions are available in person at the clinic in Ambalamukku, Thiruvananthapuram, and online for clients across Kerala and NRI families worldwide.
If you or someone you know needs support, fill in the contact form to book a session in person or online.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact iCall at 9152987821 or Vandrevala Foundation at 1860-2662-345, available 24 hours a day.