Nearly 14% Indians are mentally ill, reveals Nimhans study

[email protected] (CD Network)
October 12, 2016

Bengaluru, Oct 12: A nationwide study conducted by National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (Nimhans) has revealed a shocking prevalence of mental illness in India. At least 13.7 per cent of India's general population has been projected to be suffering from a variety of mental illnesses; and 10.6 per cent of this requires immediate intervention.

indiaIn all, nearly 150 million Indians are in a need of active medical intervention, according to the study, submitted by Nimhans to the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Monday.

Concerned over the growing problem of mental health in India, the ministry had appointed Nimhans to study the mental health status in the country in 2014 to come up with stronger mental health policies.

The aim of the survey was to study the magnitude of the problem in the country when Dr P Satish Chandra was the director of Nimhans.

India was one of the first countries to develop a national mental health programme in the early 1980s, but there was no proper study to understand the spread and estimate of mental illness in the state.

Although a mental health survey was conducted almost a decade ago, there were several fallacies in that report. The report stated that the estimates at the national and state levels were not possible due to methodological limitations.

The current study, starting from data collection, was initiated in 2014. Through computer-generated random selection, primary data was collected from 12 states with a sample size of 34,802 people.

A pilot study was done in Kolar in Karnataka. It covered all important aspects of mental illness that included substance abuse, alcohol use disorder, tobacco use disorder, severe mental illness, depression, anxiety, phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, among others.

The prevalence of mental morbidity was found to be very high in the Indian urban centres with higher prevalence of schizophrenia, mood disorders and neurotic- or stress-related disorders.

Researchers have attributed the disturbing scenario to fast-paced lifestyles, stress, complexities of loving, breakdown of support systems and challenges of economic instability.

One of the biggest concerns emerging from the study is that despite three out of four persons experiencing severe mental disorders, huge treatment gaps exist.

Apart from epilepsy, the treatment gap for all mental health disorders is more than sixty per cent. In fact, the economic burden of mental disorders is so huge that affected families had to spend nearly Rs 1,000-1,500 a month mainly for treatment and to access care.

Due to the stigma attached with mental disorders, nearly 80 per cent of people suffering from mental disorders had not received any treatment despite being afflicted by the illness for over 12 months.

Poor implementation of programmes under the national mental health programme has been found to be the main culprit for this scenario.

They not only have a low priority in the public health agenda but the health information system itself does not prioritise mental health.

Not only is there a paucity of mental health specialists, the institutional care in India, too, has been found to be limited.

The researchers suggest that mental health financing needs to be streamlined. The other problems also include interrupted drug supply to treat mental illness.

Comments

Ahmed USA
 - 
Thursday, 13 Oct 2016

Sam ,u proved urself to be a student of madrasa .message board itself clearly says many have become mentally retards becoz of many reason ..one is triple talaq ..now they cannot escape from marriage after raping woman. Second ..surgical strike hit them most becoz many of them thought their relatives can do anything in Pakistan .but now their dreams are shattered .third point arrest of salafist linked Isis elements .4th point losing grip on central govt as iron man is ruling the central .mr sam .1.25 billion population yaar .have commonsense .max voters 65crores .in that Muslims didn't vote for bjp and 31% they have received .FYI how much your siddu got do u know ? .send ur kids at least to schools instead of salafist madrasas..at least they don't become like you .

Rikaz
 - 
Wednesday, 12 Oct 2016

Modi promised 15 lakhs and ache din and may be he is also one of them....

Ashwin
 - 
Wednesday, 12 Oct 2016

SAM, UAE
You are wrong, 14% of the people are those who voted for the Looters party inspite of their pro Pak, non stop looting, minority appeasing policy. This list includes Puppu, Mani, Khurshid, Diggy etc

Go Moothra
 - 
Wednesday, 12 Oct 2016

Those who changed clothes (Chaddi to trouser) .....recently ...but could not change their Minds.....

Shaad
 - 
Wednesday, 12 Oct 2016

We know 31% Indians who elected present Govt. are mentally ill, how come it reduced to 14%? May after 2 years some realised their mistakes..!

SAM
 - 
Wednesday, 12 Oct 2016

Don't understand why the NIMHANS spent so much to reveal that the number of people voted for NDA are mentally ill.

17 Cr out of 1.25 Billion voted for NDA which is 14%.

Surely Arnab Go & Swami are the on the top list who needs to be admitted to ICU.

Abdul Narayan Dsouza
 - 
Wednesday, 12 Oct 2016

Arnab Gobar swami and Naren Kothi will be in the list

Abbu Beary
 - 
Wednesday, 12 Oct 2016

Some saffron group activists all of a sudden become mentally ill if they were caught in terror case. I want to know whether they also included in this 14 per cent ?

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News Network
March 6,2020

Mysuru, Mar 6: A BJP worker was stabbed to death by unidentified persons at his apartment in Mysore in the early hours of Friday, police said.

Anand in his early thirties, was reportedly attacked with a broken beer bottle shortly after he returned home following his late night birthday party, police added.

Following information from neighbours in the apartment, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body.

"The murder took place between 3 am and 4 am. We are investigating who was with him at the time and what was the motive behind the killing," Mysuru police Commissioner Dr Chandragupta told reporters.

Police said further investigations are on to ascertain the motive and people behind the killing.

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News Network
June 12,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 12: Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar on Friday said experts have indicated a surge in coronavirus cases in the state after August 15 and the government was taking all precautionary measures in that direction. Speaking to reporters in Ballari, Sudhakar said, "About 97 percent of over 3,000 active cases in the state are asymptomatic.

Experts after studying the developments in other countries and states have said that there will be a surge in infections after August 15."

He said the government was taking all precautionary measures in that direction.

 As of June 11 evening, cumulatively 6,245 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 72 deaths and 2,976 discharges, the health department's bulletin said.

It said, out of 3,195 active cases, 3,185 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 10 are in ICU.

Meanwhile, in a tweet pointing out that nearly 60 per cent of the COVID cases in the country are from 10 cities, Sudhakar said, despite being the fourth most populous city in the country Bengaluru has been successful in containing its spread.

"Nearly 60% of total COVID-19 cases in India are found in 10 cities. Despite being 4th most populous, Bengaluru has been successful in containing spread of virus.

I urge people to keep up the fight, continue vigil & together with #CoronaWarriors we can defeat the virus," Sudhakar tweeted.

Bengaluru that does not figure in the list of 10 cities shared by the Minister has reported 581 coronavirus cases till last evening, out of which 258 are active.

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News Network
January 29,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 29: Ramesh Jarkiholi on Tuesday demanded that he and all the newly elected MLAs, who won the bypolls after defecting from the Congress and JD(S), be inducted into the cabinet — likely on January 31 — as promised by chief minister BS Yediyurappa.

"We are hoping all 11 MLAs will be made ministers," Jarkiholi said. "That is what the BJP and the CM promised us and we hope they will keep their promise." This is the first time Jarkiholi has spoken in public on cabinet berths, ever since reports surfaced of the party high command not being in favour of inducting all the turncoats into the council of ministers.

Jarkiholi also said fellow rebel AH Vishwanath should be given a ministerial berth.

Vishwanath, formerly of the JD(S), had lost the bypolls. Jarkiholi said the rebellion would not have succeeded had it not been for Vishwanath.

"Those of us who rebelled against the JD(S)-Congress coalition government got a shot in the arm when Vishwanath supported us," Jarkiholi said. "It is imperative that we support him," he said, even as he sought to distance himself from comments made by newly-elected MLAs ST Somashekar and D Sudhakar, who said Vishwanath cannot demand a ministerial post.

Meanwhile, the BJP issued another deadline — January 31 — to expand the cabinet. "In all likelihood, cabinet expansion will take place on Friday," said an aspirant for a berth. But several BJP functionaries are skeptical of meeting the new deadline.

"Till now, the CM has not been given the green signal by the high command. This is all I can say," said a senior minister in Yediyurappa’s cabinet, while insisting he wouldn’t be surprised if the exercise was postponed till the Delhi elections are over.

Former minister and independent R Shankar, who along with Mahesh Kumatalli and Shrimant Patil accompanied Jarkiholi to a trip to Nanjangud, Mysuru district, has upped the pressure on Yediyurappa to field him in the bypoll to the lone vacant council seat. "I am confident the CM and the BJP will honour promises made to me," Shankar said.

The former minister had joined the BJP during the rebellion, but was not given a ticket to contest the bypolls.

In Chikkamagaluru, deputy chief minister Govind M Karjol insisted he is prepared to step down if needed to enable new entrants into the cabinet. "I’m a disciplined solider of the party. If the BJP directs me to submit my resignation, I will do so and return my official car and take a bus to Bengaluru," Karjol said. He said anyone who doesn’t respect the party line will not grow. "It is imperative to toe the party line," he said.

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