Doctors of two leading state-run psychiatric institutes are being stretched to their limits because of a huge rush of patients at OPDs.

Over 50 mentally challenged patients turn up every day at the state-run Ranchi Institute of Neuro Psychiatry and Allied Sciences (Rinpas), while as many as 80 new cases report to Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP), both in Kanke, Ranchi.

"An average of 300 to 350 patients turn up at Rinpas each day. Though no new psychiatrists have been appointed by the state government in the last 10 years, we still ensure best medical facilities for our patients," Rinpas head of psychiatry Jayati Simlai told the media on Friday at an event to announce a daylong conference.

The conference titled, "Living with mental illness", will be held at CIP in Ranchi on Saturday, to discuss various problems on mental ailments.

The conference is being organised by the state branch of Indian Psychiatric Society and is expected to be attended by over 350 psychiatrists from across the state.

"The purpose of organising the seminar is to clear all the stigma surrounding mental illness. The main impediment in curing patients is lack of awareness among family members," said Siddharth Sinha, a psychiatrist of Rinpas.

"About 13 per cent of the total population in India suffer from various kinds of mental ailments. An average of 500 mentally challenged patients turn up at our OPD each day. We even receive patients from Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, UP as well as from Nepal and Bangladesh," D. Ram, director of CIP, said on Friday.

Simlai pointed out that unlike CIP where patients have to bear the expenses of treatment, Rinpas offered free medication to patients for three months.