Patient’s Consent and Autonomy in Jerry Pinto’s Em and the Big Hoom

Abstract

This paper addresses the idea of patient consent in the Indian mental health care system. Mental hospitals tend to treat patients as machines. The personhood of the sufferer is treated as invalid. The paper argues that the conventional clinical practice dehumanizes patients, neglecting their autonomy and perpetuating the stigma associated with a psychiatric diagnosis. In contrast, through the narrative voice of Imelda’s son, Jerry Pinto’s novel Em and the Big Hoom (2012) intimately intertwines the experiences of mental illness within the broader context of familial struggles. Em refuses to become a mere statistic or a diagnostic label, embodying the agency to shape her narrative beyond the constraints of clinical definitions. The novel challenges the flawed clinical gaze and provides an alternative narrative that portrays an ambitious woman who does not succumb to the definitions of her illness. These alternative narratives resist reductionist perspectives, offering a more comprehensive understanding of mental illness that transcends clinical definitions. This paper critically examines the novel’s portrayal of patient autonomy and consent, shedding light on the implications for mental health care practices in India. It explores how the text serves as a catalyst for reevaluating conventional clinical perspectives and fosters a more compassionate and patient-centric mental health care system.