Mental Health Care In India Needs Immediate Attention: Only 1 In 5 Getting Treatment

In a recent National Mental Health Survey conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Science (NIMHANS), Bangalore, it was found that only one in five Indians suffering from mental health issues gets treatment.

The survey was conducted in 12 states and covered almost 39,000 individuals. It was also supported by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Statistics Revealed by Survey:

• Only one in five Indians gets treatment for mental health.
• Only 30 million of the nearly 150 million people suffering reveal their problems to get cures for mental problems.
• It was found in the study that the depression is higher among women between the age 40 and 49 years.
• The study also concluded that there is the lack of public health strategy. Almost 15% of Indian adults above the age of 13 are in need of active intervention.
• There has been a surge in mental health problems in urban areas. The middle-age working population is the most affected.

“The mental health system assessments indicate not just a lack of public health strategy, but also several other underperforming components. A dedicated policy and the new bill are the right steps to identify the force multiplier for mental health,” said Dr BN Gangadharan, director and professor of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, as reported by The Hindustan Times.

Schizophrenia, psychosis and severe mental problems were talked about in the study, and it was found that severe mental problems account for less than 2% while common mental disorders are in very high numbers and proportions.

Adolescents are very vulnerable to mental problems and 9.8 million Indians between 13 and 17 years need active intervention. Mental disorders are more prevalent in urban metros(13.5%) than rural areas (6.9%). The study also revealed that a lot of changes take place in an individual during early adolescence. These changes can be physical, biological, social psychological and emotional.

There are other factors also that contributes to developing mental health problems. These factors can be both internal and external. The mental health problems will continue to rise with urbanisation. Therefore, there is a need for an urban specific mental health programme.

There are a lot of drawbacks in the facilities available in India for mental health patients. When it comes to mental health, the rehabilitation period which is between recovery and reintegration is important, but there is lack of these facilities in India. Also, the Psychiatrists are not recognised.