Health

KEY POINTS

·         Mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.

·         In India, burden of mental disorders had risen over last few decades.

·         Our honourable Indian President Mr.Ram Nath Kovind had also recently warned that the country is facing a possible mental health epidemic.

Causes

·         Deprivation and poverty – Individuals with lower levels of education, low household income, and lack of access to basic amenities are at high risk of mental disorder.

·         Meanwhile, suicide death rates (SDRs) are higher in the more developed states of the south.

·         Higher literacy, a better reporting system and higher expectations are the possible explanations for the higher suicide rates in the southern states.

·         Burden on female – Females are more predisposed to mental disorders due to rapid social change, gender discrimination, social exclusion, gender disadvantage like marrying at young age, concern about the husband’s substance misuse habits, and domestic violence.

·         Divorced and widowed women are at slightly elevated risk of mental disorders.

·         Work environment, school environment and family environment plays important role in pathogenesis of mental disorders.

Challenges

1.       Stigma related to mental disorders

2.      Lack of awareness in common people

3.      Delayed treatment seeking behaviour

4.      Lack of low cost diagnostic test

5.      Lack of easily available treatment

6.      lack of adequate funding

7.      Lack of trained manpower

8.     Low priority of mental health in the health policy

·         In addition factors pertaining to traditional medicine and beliefs in supernatural powers in community delays diagnosis and treatment.

Way Ahead

·         There have been some positive developments over the past few years.

·         The decriminalization of suicide last year was long overdue and welcome.

·         The same holds true for the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India’s mandating that insurance companies are to make provisions to cover mental illnesses in their policies along with physical illnesses.

But it remains to be seen how well this will be implemented, given that a standard health insurance policy covers in-patient hospitalization, while mental illnesses more often require out-patient care like counselling and psychotherapy.