Around 50 million suffer from common mental disorders: Government

NEW DELHI: Around 50 million people suffer from common mental disorders like depression and anxiety, and more than 7,000 people committed suicide last year, government said today.

"In 2005, the National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health reported that 10-20 million (1-2 per cent of population) suffered from severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and nearly 50 million (5 per cent of population) from common mental disorders like depression and anxiety, yeilding an overall estimate of 6.5 per cent of population," Health Minister JP Nadda informed Lok Sabha.

"As per the accidental deaths and suicides in India reports published by National Crime Records Bureau, the incidents of suicides due to mental illness in 2012 was 7,769, 2013 was 8,006 and 2014 was 7,104," Nadda said.

He also informed that there are 3,800 phychiatrists, 898 clinical phychologists, 850 psychiatric social workers and 1,500 psychiatric nurses in the country.

There are 3 centrally run mental health institutes, 40 state run mental hospitals and 398 departments of psychiatry in various medical colleges across the country equipped to treat such patients, he said.

"To address the acute shortage of qualified mental health professionals in the country, government is implementing manpower development schemes for establishment of centres for excellence and strengthening and establishing post graduate departments in mengal health specialities," he said.

Till date support has been provided for establishment of 11 centres for excellence and strengthening and establishing 27 PG departments, the Minister informed.

"The government has approved a proposal for establishment of ten additional centres of excellence and support to strengthen and establish 93 PG departments and expansion of district mental health programme to 550 districts in the country during 12th Five Year plan," he said.

He added that the government has brought out a mental health policy to promote mental health, prevent mental illness, and enable recovery from mental illness amongst others.