6.5 per cent of country's population suffers from mental disorders

NEW DELHI: An estimated 6.5 per cent of the country's population suffers from severe as well as common mental disorders, Lok Sabha was informed today.

While 10 to 20 million (one to two per cent) of the population suffers from severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, nearly 50 million (five per cent of the population) from common mental disorders like depression and anxiety, yielding an overall estimate of 6.5 per cent of the population.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who fielded questions on the issue in the absence of Health Minister J P Nadda, said there are three centrally-run mental health institutes, 40 state run mental hospitals to treat patients suffering from mental illness.

As many as 398 departments of psychiatry are also working in various medical colleges across the country.

Parrikar said to address the acute shortage of qualified mental health professionals in the country, government is implementing manpower development schemes for establishment of 11 centres of excellence and strengthening and establishing post-graduate departments in mental health specialities.

He said there is no provision under the CGHS for providing psychiatrists in all the medical centres on regular basis under the scheme.