Psychiatric epidemiology in India: Where do we stand following the national mental health survey, 2016?

The World Health Organization reports that psychiatric disorders are the leading cause of disability globally. To gauge this burden of mental disorders, several psychiatric epidemiological studies have been conducted in India since as early as the 1960s. However, these studies were difficult to comp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of Psychiatry Spectrum Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 27 - 34
Main Authors Mahal, Pankaj, Patley, Rahul, Kumar, Channaveerachari, Manjunatha, Narayana, Math, Suresh
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd 01.01.2023
Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
Subjects
Epidemiology
Health surveys
india
Last, John Murray
Medical research
Medicine, Experimental
Mental health
Mental illness
psychiatric illness
Public health
survey
Surveys
India
survey
psychiatric illness
Epidemiology
mental health
India
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The World Health Organization reports that psychiatric disorders are the leading cause of disability globally. To gauge this burden of mental disorders, several psychiatric epidemiological studies have been conducted in India since as early as the 1960s. However, these studies were difficult to compare due to factors such as variations in sampling methods, defining a case/diagnosis, screening/diagnostic instruments, lack of trained human resources, or being limited to a particular region. Therefore, with the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2016, India has conducted a landmark nationwide study to counter these limitations. The NMHS study will also help shape future policies and programs related to mental health. Recently, India has also completed a dedicated nationwide study on the extent of substance use. Thus, in this review paper, we provide a glimpse of the path taken so far by the psychiatric epidemiological studies in India and pointed out the areas to be focused on in the future to curb disability/morbidity/fatality caused by psychiatric disorders.
ISSN:2949-6950
2949-6969
DOI:10.4103/jopsys.jopsys_43_22