National Mental Health Policy in India

Introduction

In India, mental health till very recently had been like an ostrich model where something that is not visible does not exist. Also, if something new was on the way and couldn't be defined immediately, it was ignored and left untouched. It took a pandemic for India to realize that something like mental health also exists and, people need to pay equal attention to their mental health as much as they need to on their physical health. During the pandemic, people have become vocal about their mental health. In this article, we will look into the National Mental Health Policy (NMHP) which defines the goals and objectives of how the citizens of India can benefit from the policy and use it for their welfare and others.

History and Background

It can come as a shock that India was among some of the first developing countries in the world to initiate the National Mental Health Program way back in 1982. It has been 40 years since; there is still not much improvement in the mental health of the nation. Instead, one can see the charts declining in mental health and rising with severity in case of the worsening conditions of the population.

One out of four families is likely to suffer from a mental health disorder or behavioural disorder. The policy of 1982 came intending to create awareness about mental health and disabilities. It focused on promoting the participation of communities in mental health service development and encouraged efforts towards self-help in the members of the community. It also tried to strengthen the availability of minimum mental healthcare for all especially, to the most vulnerable and underprivileged sections of society. In 1996, the focus was on early detection and treatment of illness with general physicians for diagnosis and treatment of common mental sickness with a limited number of drugs under the guidance of a specialist. They failed to understand that a general physician would look at the issue like any other disease rather than something to do with the mind and another related difficulty. The short-term training provided was not enough to treat someone with mental sickness or disability. A simple record-keeping took place to keep track of such cases.

Recent improvement on the Mental Health Act

The NMHP of 2014 focused on creating specialists to work with mental health patients through public financing and developing special rules for those willing to work in public systems. It relied on a network of community individuals to provide psycho-social support and harnessed digital technology to improve mental health services at primary care institutions in the context where access to qualified psychiatrists is difficult. According to the India Penal code 309 which, deals with punishment for attempted suicide, if an individual for various reasons were to fail in their attempt to suicide, would be punished until they were able to prove that they were under extreme levels of stress? The scope of the code's implementation was severely reduced by the Mental Health Care Act of 2017. The bill stated, “Any person who attempts to commit suicide shall be presumed unless proved otherwise, to have severe stress and shall not be tried and punished under the said Code”. It also stated that the State government should take complete care of such individuals and provide them with rehabilitation and care.

Mental Healthcare Act 2017 ensures healthcare for people who suffer from mental illness through health services funded by the government. It decriminalizes suicide, disallows sterilization and solitary confinement of mentally unwell patients. The Act provides for the setting up of Central and State Mental Health Authorities for the training of medical professionals. It also mandates insurance companies to provide mental health insurance.

Some of the recommendations of the 2017 MHA are:

• A national plan for mental health literacy is required to create awareness.
• Mental health should integrate with the National Urban Health Mission and other programs to deal with the high prevalence of mental health issues in urban areas.
• An incentive-based approach needs to be employed to encourage interest in psychiatry and psychology to solve the shortage of medical professionals.
• While Ayushman Bharat allows for insurance for medical treatment of the mentally unwell, financial protection in the form of allowances should be initiated.
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) should be encouraged in the field.

In the context of India

Even though India seems to have made good progress in the policies, there seems to be very little awareness of the benefits one can avail of with the help of the National Mental Health Policy. The main issue seems to be that mental health is viewed differently and attached with some general stereotypes in the current society. A large part of society still treats mental health as non-existent, and it is considered a hush-hush topic. It is like the other taboo topics which, include periods and sex.

Introduction of such topics at an early age will help them make a healthy lifestyle with the help of their guides. These practices will help them develop healthy coping mechanisms. It would also help in their future to know what steps to take if they face any drastic situations.

In-state of a pandemic, it is crucial to create awareness about the policy to the citizens. It allows them to have access at the right time. The implementation of these recommendations of the 2017 policy will decide how the mental health and state of the nation changes. Articles state that India can face trillion dollars of loss if the mental health of the young adult population does not improve by 2030.

Conclusions

One should be aware of mental health and how it can be maintained in all spheres of life. I think that it is one such topic that needs to be included in schooling levels for students to be thoroughly aware. Doing so would allow them to assess their and their close ones' behaviours and understand how to deal with them.

With the current situation in mind, one must remember that we are only eight years away from 2030. If the policies are not implemented in the right manner a huge amount of loss can be faced by India not only financially, but also socially. A lot of dynamics can change with the improvement or disruption of the mental health status of the nation. A good amount of concrete work needs to be done in order to help uplift the nation in different spheres.

References:

• https://vikaspedia.in/social-welfare/differently-abled-welfare/policies-and-standards/national-mental-health-policy
• https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thehindu.com/news/national/laying-out-a-path-for-indias-national-suicide-prevention-strategy/article37919322.ece/amp/
• https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livemint.com/v/s/www.livemint.com/science/health/indias-great-medical-challenge-talking-about-mental-health/amp-11640796933540.html%3famp_js_v=0.1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%253D%253D#ampf=
• https://nhm.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=2&sublinkid=1043&lid=359

Written by: Ms Trisha Verma, MA Applied Psychology, Department of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Science (FBSS), Manav Rachna International Institute of Research & Studies (MRIIRS), Faridabad.