Mental Healthcare in India – Burning Issues

Table of Contents

The News

In a reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare said
- they don’t have any data of registered mental health professionals including psychiatrists working in government and private sectors across the country.
“The data regarding the number of clinical psychologists in the country is not maintained centrally”.

Another Question
- Whether the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the mental health crisis in India?
Govt Reply
- “The government has not conducted any study to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the population.”
- Although, the government has taken a number of initiatives to provide psychosocial support during COVID-19.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO)
- 5 per cent of the Indian population suffers from some form of mental disorder.
- Mental illnesses constitute one-sixth of all health-related disorders and India accounted for nearly 15% of the global mental, neurological and substance abuse disorder burden.
- India has less than 4,000 mental health professionals.
Note: This is all based on 2019 report. (Covid-19 impact not accounted for..!!)

National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) – 1982
National Mental Health act – 1987
District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) – 1996
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act – 2016
Mental Health Care Act 2017
- Note: The act envisages the establishment of Central Mental Health Authority and State Mental Health Authority.

We must learn to balance our positive and negative feelings. It is impossible for an individual to not have any negative feelings at all. Being aware of our feelings, processing them and expressing them can allow us to balance the negative feelings with positive ones and instill a sense of optimism in ourselves.
And if we feel we can’t overcome the negativity, then it is time to seek professional help.