Mental Health India 2020: Crisis And Awareness

India has recently launched its first Mental Health Rehabilitation ‘Kiran’(hope) Helpline- 18005990019. It will be operational 24*7 operational. However, the big question remains unanswered, ‘is it enough’?

NIMHANS Survey and WHO estimation:

NIMHANS last conducted a mental health survey on 34802 adults and 1191 adolescents across 12 selected states in 2016. However, to everyone’s surprise, the government nor the NIMHANS has done any survey after that! According to the survey, 1 in 20 people in India suffers from depression.
As per WHO’s estimation, 20% of the population of India may suffer from some mental illness in 2020.

Statistical figures:

In India, 625 institutions impart 60 RCI approved courses. The number of personnel having approved qualifications in disability and special education was 121692 till 31st March 2017. There are only 278 certified caregivers across the country. The population of India in 2017 was 133.87 crores. Hence, 1 professional is available for 11000 people that include 550 mentally ill people.

(NOTE: We have taken into account only RCI registered professionals as RCI is the government body that deals with Mental Health.)

Government’s steps towards mental health:

As per a study done by the Indian Journal of Psychiatry’s study, the estimated cost to implement the Mental Health Care Act, 2017 is ₹94,073 crores.
However, the government allocated only ₹50 crores to Mental Health Sector in 2018. Further, it even reduced the funds by ₹10 crores in 2019.

So, what is the future of India’s Mental Health? As per WHO’s data, almost 264 million people suffer from depression, which is a leading cause of disability. It is also the reason behind the whopping amount of $1 trillion loss on the global scale. Not everyone is a mental health professional who can treat mental illness. But, we all are capable enough to help each other heal. Empathy and love are the keys to healing. We all can use it wisely and efficiently, for ourselves and others.

We heal together, we grow together: Home of Beautiful Souls.