Eliminating Stereotypes and Negative Connotations Associated with Psychological Ailments
India has taken significant strides in addressing mental health care access and stigma, with the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) and its District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) instituted to shift the focus from custody to community. However, several challenges persist.
Challenges
One of the main obstacles is inadequate training and workforce gaps. Primary healthcare providers in India often receive insufficient psychiatric training during undergraduate education, leading to limited identification of mental health disorders at the primary care level. High workload and professional stress are also major concerns, with Indian doctors seeing over 200 patients daily and working long hours, which can negatively impact their ability to address mental health concerns effectively.
Stigma and lack of awareness about mental health disorders are significant barriers to treatment seeking. The prevailing social stigma toward mental illness contributes to large treatment gaps, with mental health conditions often hidden or untreated. Structural and systemic barriers, such as insufficient integration of mental health into primary care, limited outreach services, and administrative hurdles, also impede effective mental healthcare delivery.
Solutions and Initiatives
To address these challenges, India is deploying multi-pronged strategies. Capacity building through training programs like the Diploma in Primary Care Psychiatry (DPCP) and initiatives by the NIMHANS Digital Academy, aim to upskill primary care physicians and medical officers in mental health detection and management.
Government programs and tele-mental health services, such as the NMHP and DMHP, provide outpatient services, counseling, psychotropic drugs, and some inpatient facilities at community and district levels. Tele MANAS Cells have been established in many states to provide telephonic mental health support, handling millions of calls.
Expansion of specialist education, through the government supporting more postgraduate seats in mental health specialties and new clinical psychology programs, is another key initiative to increase the workforce. The use of digital and remote learning tools, like online platforms for ongoing skill development, is also being leveraged.
Public awareness and destigmatization efforts are ongoing, aiming to reduce stigma associated with mental illness and encourage treatment uptake.
Despite these efforts, there is a need for continued scaling of training programs and expansion of tele-mental health services to make meaningful progress. The Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA) of 2017, which decriminalized attempted suicide and made mental healthcare a legal right, provides a solid foundation for future improvements in mental health care access and reduction of stigma in India.
[1] World Health Organization. (2020). Mental Health at a Glance: India 2020. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015484
[2] National Centre for Biotechnology Information. (2017). Mental Health in India: A Review. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5646498/
[3] Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. (2014). National Mental Health Policy, 2014. Retrieved from https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/National_Mental_Health_Policy_2014.pdf
[4] The Lancet Psychiatry. (2017). The global burden of disease in 2016: mental disorders. Retrieved from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)32229-1/fulltext
- The insufficient integration of mental health into primary care and the limited outreach services are significant structural barriers that impede effective mental healthcare delivery, as highlighted in the National Mental Health Policy of 2014.
- To combat the stigma towards mental illness and encourage mental health awareness, public awareness and destigmatization efforts, such as those outlined in the Mental Healthcare Act of 2017, aim to reduce the associated stigma and encourage treatment uptake.
