Psychiatrists of the Vijayawada Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (VIMHANS) had the rare opportunity to study a girl-child who is believed to be shedding tears of stone.
Several cases of people, majority of them children, shedding tears of stone have been reported from India and a few other countries in the world. Psychiatrists of VIMHANS however got an opportunity to study and treat the girl child, Gayathri, 12, from Thotagudem village located on the borders of Krishna and West Godavari districts.
Such cases, though they are documented by electronic media, have been rarely studied by experts of modern medicine.
“There was one such case earlier, but when the eye doctor suggested that the case be examined by a psychiatrist the parents go offended,” said VIMHANS faculty head Vishal Indla.
These cases are usually branded as black magic and taken to the village medicine man.
There have been cases in which the eyes of the patients have been damaged by crude remedies of the village medicine men, said Dr Vishal.
VIMHANS director and the first psychiatrist who set up practice in Vijayawada, Indla Ramasubba Reddy, has always been campaigning against the various atrocities that were being conducted in the name of black magic.
Such patients had to be treated with great deal of sensitivity and technique, he added.