Very Important Stats: About Mental Health
What is the status of mental health in India?
- 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.
- As per National Mental Health Survey (NMHS-2016)- Nearly 150 million people live with some form of mental illness in the country and nearly 85-90 percent of them receive no treatment.
- A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that 7.5 per cent of the Indian population suffers from some form of mental disorder.
- Only about one in ten people with mental health disorders are thought to receive evidence-based treatment.
- Upto 50% of mental, behavioral and psychological problems have their onset during adolescence.
- At least 20 percent of young people experience some form of mental illness.
- The rate of mental health disorders doubles for those who have been to war or lived through a major disaster.
- Many people do not seek treatment for mental illness due to the associated stigma. Only 44% of adults with mental illnesses receive treatment.
- Improving mental health services in low- to medium-income countries is not as costly as some may think.
- Women are more likely to seek mental health treatment than men.
- People with a mental health issue are generally nonviolent.
- In fact, only 3-5% of violent acts can be attributed to people with a serious mental illness.
- Individuals living with serious mental illness face an increased risk of having chronic medical conditions.
- A WHO report suggests that India is the most depressed country in the world.
- Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
- More than 1 in 4 adults living with serious mental illnesses also struggles with substance abuse.
- Two-thirds of people who have suffered from depression face prejudice at work or while applying for new jobs.
- 1/2 of all mental illnesses show early signs before a person turns 14 years old, and 3/4 of mental illnesses begin before age 24.
- 50% of corporate India is under chronic stress.
- It is alarming that 42.5% of the employees in the private sector of corporate India suffer from depression or some form anxiety disorder. That’s almost every second person. What is the status of mental health in India?
- 12 per cent of Indian students between the age of 4 and 16 suffer from psychiatric disorders.
- 20 per cent show signs of mental disorders, out of which 2-5 per cent have serious concerns like autism or bi-polar disorder.
- The same report lists suicide as the third largest cause of death in 15-35 year olds.
- Shockingly, every one hour a student commits suicide in India.
- An average of 300 people – 200 men and 100 women –commit suicide every day.
- By addressing risk factors such as trauma, it is possible to prevent certain mental health disorders, especially in children and adolescents.
- Stigma surrounding mental health remains one of its biggest barriers. What is the status of mental health in India?
- In 2018, nearly 134,000 Indians died by suicide, a large proportion of them being children, women and young adults.
- According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India has just over 3,800 registered psychiatrists against the need of at least 13,500.
- India requires 20,250 clinical psychologists, but has only about 900.
- Besides qualified doctors and specialists, there is also a scarcity of psychiatric social workers in the country.
- At the moment, India spends 0.06% of its total health budget on mental healthcare.
- Only 43 government institutions, and less than 26,000 hospital beds are dedicated to mental health patients.
- Despite these staggering figures, India currently spends a tiny fraction of its total health budget on mental health. That too has not been operationalised.
- Last year, out of a healthcare budget of Rs 62,398 crore, allocations of funds for the National Mental Health Programme saw a decline from Rs 50 crore to Rs 40 crore.
- This means that India spent only on 0.06 percent of its health budget on mental health care as I already told, and has an acute shortage of professionals who can help people treat mental disorders.
- Putting this in perspective, there are 0.30 psychiatrists, 0.17 nurses, and 0.05 psychologists per 1,00,000 mentally ill patients in the country.
- The World Health Organization estimates that India will suffer economic losses amounting to a staggering 1.03 trillion dollars from mental health conditions between 2012 and 2030.
- Last but not least: most people living with mental illness lead productive lives despite their challenges.