Self-reporting of mental illness less than 1% in India: IIT, Ohio Univ study

NEW DELHI: The self-reporting rate of mental illness in India is less than one per cent and the private sector is a major provider of mental health services in the country, a recent study by Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur and USA’s Ohio State University found.

The study has been published in the International Journal of Mental Health Systems and has been co-authored by Dr Alok Ranjan, Assistant Professor, School of Liberal Arts (SoLA), IIT Jodhpur and Dr. Jewel Crasta, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.

The data was collected from 5,55,115 individuals (3,25,232 rural and 2,29,232 urban), from randomly selected 8,077 villages and 6,181 urban areas, including 283 outpatient and 374 hospitalisation cases due to mental disorders in India.

“Stigma in society acts as a significant barrier to reporting mental health issues. Destigmatising mental health is crucial to fostering an environment where seeking support is embraced,” Ranjan said.

The study shed light on the significant out-of-pocket expenses incurred by individuals seeking mental health services, largely due to reliance on the private sector. Besides low self-reporting of mental disorders, the study has flagged socio economic disparities, dominance of the private sector, limited health insurance coverage and high out-of-pocket expenditure, among top concerns about mental illness.

The 2017 National Mental Health Survey by The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS), indicated that around 197.3 million individuals had a mental disorder in India.