Nearly 1 in 7 Indians Suffers from Mental Disorders: Study

Nearly one in seven Indians suffered from mental health disorders of varying severity in 2017 with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and anxiety disorders being the commonest, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry.// There was a significant link between the prevalence of depression and suicide death rate at the state level, with this association somewhat stronger in men than in women.

The first comprehensive assessments of disease burden due to mental disorders and their trends in every state of India from 1990 by the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative note that the contribution of mental health disorders to the total disease burden has doubled between 1990 and 2017.

“We are talking about 14.5 percent of the countries population, of which merely around 10 percent is able to get sufficient treatment largely due to neglect as mental illness is still not considered a serious illness and also due to stigma associated. This is the first time that such a comprehensive report has been put out to know the precise disease burden of mental health in the country that will aid make changes at the policy level,” said Dr. Rajesh Sagar, professor, psychiatry department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.

Dr. Sagar is the first author of the study.

The prevalence of depressive disorders increased with age in India in 2017, with the highest prevalence in the elderly, which has significant indications for the aging population of India.

“There’s a connection between depression and suicide deaths in India, and the numbers grow with age. For women, a lot of factors play a role, including psycho-social factors. Most suicide attempts happen between 15 and 29 years when they are adapting in the matrimonial set-up,” stated Rakhi Dandona, professor, Public Health Foundation of India.

Mental illnesses add significantly to the burden of disease in India. Hence, there is an urgent need to strengthen mental health services, integrate these with general healthcare, and eliminate barriers such as stigma and access to treatment.

Source-Medindia