About Us

Ranchi, once upon a time, summer capital of integrated Bihar was synonymous with treatment of mentally ill patients as two of the major mental hospitals in the country were built around 100 years ago in vicinity of each other. Central Institute of Psychiatry Ranchi, Jharkhand is a premier institution for mental health in India.The British established this hospital on 17th May, 1918 with the name of Ranchi European Lunatic Asylum. Till independence this hospital was meant only for treatment of European patients. As Col Berkeley-Hill mentioned,

“The Ranchi European Mental Hospital is the only mental hospital in India which is intended solely for the treatment of persons of either European or American parentage. Natives of Asia or Africa are not eligible for admission. The term European includes persons of mixed parentage, i e., Anglo-Indian or Anglo-African, and to the former the largest percentage of patients belongs.”

(Taken from: Berkeley-Hill O. 1924.) There are many firsts to its credit. The first Occupational Therapy Department in 1922, ECT in 1943, psychosurgery and neurosurgery in 1947, clinical psychology and Electroencephalography (EEG) departments in 1948, a full-fledged neuropathology section in 1952, the first use of Lithium in 1952 and chlorpromazine in 1953. A very modern radiology department with facility for sophisticated cerebral angiography, pneumoencephalography, air ventriculography, myelography etc. was established in 1954. Few other landmarks are starting a child guidance clinic in 1950, rural mental health clinic at Mander in 1967, rehabilitation centre and sheltered workshop in 1967, and industrial psychiatry unit at HEC, Ranchi in 1973. It may also be noted that the Indian Psychiatric Society was established in 1948 because of the efforts of this Institute and it was registered in Patna. The first draft of the Bill that subsequently became the Mental Health Act of India (1987) was written at C.I.P, Ranchi in 1949 by Dr. R.B. Davis, the then Medical Superintendent, Dr. S.A. Hasib, from Indian Mental Hospital, Ranchi and Dr. J. Roy, from Mental Hospital, Gwalior. The latter two too had worked at C.I.P., Ranchi at one time or other. The journey has been long and distinguished and its contribution to Indian Psychiatry has set a tradition of excellence in the field of mental health. Berkeley-Hill wrote in his parting note.

"The miserable bear-garden I had taken charge of in October, 1919, had become the finest mental hospital in Asia, and a great deal finer than many mental hospitals in Europe."

Present Milieu at CIP

Located in the picturesque city of Ranchi, today, CIP offers the latest medical advances in an environment that promotes mental health and enhances a sense of wellbeing. Currently CIP is one of the very few eco-friendly “Green” infrastructure at Ranchi.There are numerous trees of various breeds, some of which are more than 90 years old. Some of the trees have been brought from various parts of the world. Lawns have been recently developed and a number of benches are provided at every nook and corner for the patients. CIP uses solar energy for lights, water pumps and geysers. CIP has a dedicated power supply feeder for regular electricity and apart from that DG sets are available round the clock for power backups. All-important mechanical and computerized infrastructure is linked to dedicated UPS supply.

At present there are 16 wards, six wards in the male section and female section respectively, along with three special wards and one emergency ward situated outside the main gate of the Institute. Each ward within the Institute is a pavilion type building which is at some distance from other wards. Each ward has well laid out roads and lawns around it. Male and Female sections are separated by a high wall. All the wards are named after eminent European psychiatrists e.g., Kraepelin, Bleuler, Freud, Maudsley etc. Facilities and establishments have also been named after eminent Indian psychiatrists like D. Satyanand, L. P. Verma, R.B. Davis, Bhaskaran etc. It may be worth noting that unlike other mental hospitals, CIP, Ranchi has never been a custodial care facility. It has always been an open hospital and the patients are never confined to rooms and are free to roam within the hospital. Apart from drug therapy various psychotherapies, behavior therapy, group therapy and family therapy are routinely employed. A milieu therapy approach exists where patients participate in running the ward and help in looking after other patients. Regular physical exercise, outdoor and indoor games and Yoga are on hand for the patients. A very well stacked library having books in English, Hindi, Urdu and Bengali as well as a number of newspapers and magazines is freely accessible to the patients. For our inpatients very sophisticated facilities for various kinds of investigations are available. Latest medicines, good food, exercise, religious discourses, music, entertainment, library, and a canteen are there. A unique feature of the hospital is its open space and patients are free to roam around anywhere within the boundary wall. Unlike other mental hospitals which are custodial with closed wards, this hospital has always been an open hospital

Departments like occupational therapy, medical library, patients’ library, centre for cognitive neurosciences, neuroimaging and radiology, clinical psychology, pathology and biochemistry and teaching block for post graduate students and residents are all housed in a mixture of colonial and modern world establishments giving a unique flavour to this addicting milieu. Currently the institute functions under the administrative control of Directorate General of Health Services and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi. Main objectives of CIP have been patient care, manpower development and research. It is equipped with best possible facilities including state of art Psychosocial department, most advanced brain stimulation and neurophysiology lab, state of art neuroimaging center with high end 3 Tesla functional MRI system and one of the most gifted medical library in the country. CIP has continued to gain importance and national / international recognition as a center of repute and excellence.

The list of various wards is as below: