As per the Scientific Paper for GBD – India Mental Disorders published in December 2019, in 2017, 197•3 million people had mental disorders in India, including 45•7 million with depressive disorders and 44•9 million with anxiety disorders.
This report reveals that in 2017, one among every seven people in India had a mental disorder, ranging from mild to severe. The proportional contribution of mental disorders to the total disease burden in India almost doubled from 1990 to 2017. Among the mental disorders that manifest during adulthood, the highest disease burden in India was caused by depressive and anxiety disorders, followed by schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
Whilst there are services available for people with various disabilities, there are hardly any community services in India working specifically on social recovery of people suffering from severe and enduring mental illness.
Early 20’s is the time when most of the psychiatric illnesses start. Therefore, early intervention for this age group will enable faster recovery for them. Recovery Hub focuses on the age group 18-45.
In conclusion, mental disorders adversely affect a substantial proportion of Indians. Given the poor coverage of mental health services, the lack of awareness, and the stigma attached to mental disorders in the country, India needs to invest heavily in mental health services to facilitate prevention where possible and to provide affordable treatment, care, and rehabilitation, as well as to attempt integration of mental and physical health services.
