Central Institute of Psychiatry

Central institute of Psychiatry is an institute that is directly governed by the Government of India. It is situated in Kanke, Ranchi in Jharkhand state of India.

The institute dates back to the days of the British Raj in India. The British established this hospital on 17 May 1918 with the name of 'Ranchi European Lunatic Asylum'. It had then a capacity of 174 patients (92 males and 82 females). It catered to the needs of the European mental patients only and it was under the direct control and management of Government of Bihar (then, Jharkhand was a part of Bihar).

In 1922, it was put under the control of a Board of Trustees with various participating state governments represented in the Board and in the very same year its name was changed to 'European Mental Hospital'. The year 1922 is also notable for the fact that the Institute was affiliated to the University of London for the Diploma in Psychological Medicine examination. It was a unique phenomenon since the postgraduate training in Psychiatry was nonexistent in India in those days.

The Indian Psychiatric Society was established in 1948 because of the efforts of this Institute and it is 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 hospital is spread over 210 acres of lush green campus. There are 16 wards – nine for male patients, six for female patients and a Family Unit. They have a total bed capacity of 643. Each ward is of pavilion type and has well laid out roads and lawns around it. The wards were built during the British Raj, and are named after eminent European psychiatrists and physicians. The wards are at some distance from each other, and the male and female sections are separated by a high wall. 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. They are free to roam within the boundary wall of the hospital.