Mental illness increasing, no of psychiartists inadequate: Govt

New Delhi, May 10 (UNI) Even though the incidence of mental illness were on the rise in the country, the patients face stigma and neglect as the number of experts to treat them were totally inadequate, Health Minister Anbumoni Ramadoss admitted.

Addressing the Consultative Committee meeting of his ministry, Dr Ramadoss that due to stigma, ignorance and paucity of services for mental illness, the National Mental Health Programme has not been able to reach a large number of people needing it.

Stating that the mentally ill people are the most vulnerable members of the society being prone to abuse, neglect and despair, he said that due to the very nature of illness, which in severe cases takes away the insight, these citizens form a voiceless population.

At any given time about 10 per cent of the population suffers from various mental and behavioral disorders of them approximately 10 per cent suffer from severe mental disorders. About 10 per cent of those suffering from severe mental disorders require long term treatment, he said and added that approximately 10 per cent require ospitalization. From this estimate about 10 crore population suffer from some mental ailment at any given time, he informed.

The minister said that the burden of neuro-psychiatry disorders was estimated to be a whopping 12% of the total disease burden and imposes a heavy burden on the family and society in terms of morbidity, loss of productivity and mortality in terms of suicide in extreme cases. A large number of people with mental problems do not seek help due to ignorance, stigma and lack of availability of services he said.

However, most of these ailments could be treated at an out-patient basis and only a very small proportion requires hospitalisation. This has led to acceptance of community-based treatment of mental disorders worldwide as they were less expensive, more accessible, acceptable, less stigmatizing and less prone to human rights abuse leading to early integration back in the community, he said.

He accepted that the country faces an acute shortage of mental health professionals and said that less than one psychiatrist was available for every three lakh population. The psychiatrist population ratio in rural areas that account for 70 per cent of country's population, could well be under one for every million, he informed.

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