DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETHealthworld.com does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETHealthworld.com shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organisation directly or indirectly.
By Gerald Jaideep, CEO, Medvarsity Online Ltd

If you trace back the history, diagnosing mental illness was often done by conducting religion-based rituals. The reason for this was the belief of demonic possessions behind mental imbalances.

Mental health treatment has come a long way today from ancient medical practices to a more research, data, and technology-based approach.

For example researchers, physicians and doctors can adopt new ways of treating, monitoring and understanding the mental conditions of patients leveraging mobile devices.

Mental disorders are very diverse with multiple conditions of individuals’ minds like anxiety disorders (panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias), depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychotic disorder, and other mood disorder.

These disorders usually range from mild to severe and acute to recurrent and are also measured based on how long the patient has been suffering. For example, a patient might require institutional care or rehabilitative medical care depending on the severity of the issue. Therefore it needs a very deep understanding of the condition of an individual patient to cure the disease.

When it comes to mental healthcare in India, what is lacking is the understanding of its prevalence and risk factors associated with the disease.

The comprehensive study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on the “disease burden due to mental disorders in India” revealed that approximately 197 million persons, roughly one in seven Indians suffered from some kind of mental disorders of the year 2017. These include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, idiopathic developmental intellectual disability, conduct disorders, and autism.

People today are more prone to issues like depression, anxiety disorders, sleeplessness, suicidal attempts, alcoholism, because of their changing lifestyle. Irrespective of age, gender, and standard of living, almost everyone at some point in life is affected by mental illness, it’s only the variations that differ. Social, cultural, economic, biological, and other related factors contribute to the increased occurrence of mental disorders.

Following the outbreak of Covid-19, people of all ages are being exposed to extraordinary situations that they have never experienced before. The pandemic has triggered a sense of fear and agitation among the masses.

Even a minor fever or cough fills our heart with the fear of contracting the infection and that leads us to get the test done for reconfirmation. On top of that, job losses and economic slowdown add to the woes.

The pandemic has caused Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the masses. The psychological impact of the pandemic is significant which disturbed the normal state of mind.

The contribution of mental disorders to the total disease burden in India has significantly grown with one in seven Indians facing mental disorders challenges ranging from mild to severe.

In a scenario where improving the quality of mental healthcare delivery requires timely responsiveness, preparedness, and adequate capacity, training mental health professionals are of utmost importance to ensure maximum attention for the patients (especially in the time of pandemic Covid-19).

The stigma around mental illness still prevails!

As compared to other diseases, mental illness has never received the attention it deserves. Clinical psychology as a subject is not very attractive to boast of for students’ fraternity. And this leads to the shortage of mental health professionals causing a huge gap between demand and supply.

Though people are expressing their concern towards mental health awareness, the stigma associated with it defeats the purpose of creating awareness. Hence the increasing number of patients reflects in the statistics of disease burden.

Patients suffering from mental illness are often considered unstable or ostracized, which prevents them from seeking help and their families accepting the illness.

It’s time to embrace the fact that mental illness is like any other disease. There is nothing wrong with having anxiety issues or any kind of mental disorder. All you need to do is to take the right measures at the right time to overcome the disease.

If we continue to perceive mental illness through the eyes of taboo or do not change our attitude, people with mental illness will continue to experience social isolation and face difficulties in seeking the required support.

Lack of mental healthcare professionals!

The alarming fact that has been highlighted in the past several years is the huge treatment gap due to the inadequate number of psychiatrists or mental health counselors.

The government of India has introduced the National Mental Health Policy in 2014 and Mental Healthcare Act in 2017. Launched in 2018, Ayushman Bharat (Healthy India) aims to provide health insurance coverage for non-communicable diseases which include mental disorders. Though the initiatives are well-designed to reduce mental health issues in the country, the treatment gap remains a challenging factor.

The knowledge gap in mental health

With the limited research on mental health, the knowledge gaps still exist in addressing the burden of the disease. The research priorities should be highlighted based on the data collections on the stages/severities of mental health conditions.

It’s very imperative now to improve the quality of assessment by focusing on the trends driving change in mental health care. For example, psychiatrists should maximize their knowledge of leveraging advanced technologies or data analytics and adopt new ways to assess and treat mental illness.

Upskilling mental healthcare professionals is imperative!

While the inadequate availability of psychiatrists has always been a major concern, there is also an urgent need to address the individual needs of mental illness and provide customized healthcare to all.

And this calls for upskilling the existing psychiatrists to help them gain expertise in the field. Millions of people require mental health care which requires multiplying the numbers of psychiatrists and upskilling the existing ones.

Moreover, both public and private sector institutions should actively focus on extending the scope of mental healthcare delivery by increasing the engagement of professionals, specialists, and peripheral health workers in mental health activities.

Because non-specialists healthcare professionals (primary care doctors, health workers, nurse practitioners, therapists, counselors, general practitioners) play a significant role in achieving the goal of quality healthcare delivery. And upskilling will enable the professionals to sharpen their ability to assess the mental conditions of a patient in an effective manner.

Given the evolving trends in the treatment approach of mental health, having a degree is not enough. Constant skill up-gradation is imperative to improve the career prospects and quality of mental healthcare delivery.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETHealthworld.com does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETHealthworld.com shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organisation directly or indirectly.