Prioritizing rural and community mental health in India: Now, more than Ever Before

Community mental health care in India started in the 1970s. It was long felt that integrating mental health with primary care by training and supporting primary health care personnel to deliver basic mental health care was the best way to provide care for those in need of mental health services in t...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mohan Isaac
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2018-01-01
Series:Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.indjsp.org/article.asp?issn=0971-9962;year=2018;volume=34;issue=4;spage=289;epage=291;aulast=Isaac
_version_ 1818451630751744000
author Mohan Isaac
author_facet Mohan Isaac
author_sort Mohan Isaac
collection DOAJ
description Community mental health care in India started in the 1970s. It was long felt that integrating mental health with primary care by training and supporting primary health care personnel to deliver basic mental health care was the best way to provide care for those in need of mental health services in the developing countries. This has been recently echoed by an international consortium as well. The national mental health program, and later the district mental health program, has been right and ambitious steps in this direction. However, effective coverage for severe mental disorders and epilepsy continues to be very low. While there are vast variations across regions of the country, the highest treatment gaps are in rural areas because of inequities in the distribution of mental health resources and variable implementation of mental health program across states. We now know what to do, but we have to begin doing it effectively. It is indeed high time that we prioritize rural and community mental health in India.
first_indexed 2024-12-14T21:10:15Z
format Article
id doaj.art-13468b40fc1e48f997ae4f610f9df1f7
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 0971-9962
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-14T21:10:15Z
publishDate 2018-01-01
publisher Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
record_format Article
series Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry
spelling doaj.art-13468b40fc1e48f997ae4f610f9df1f72022-12-21T22:47:15ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndian Journal of Social Psychiatry0971-99622018-01-0134428929110.4103/ijsp.ijsp_72_18Prioritizing rural and community mental health in India: Now, more than Ever BeforeMohan IsaacCommunity mental health care in India started in the 1970s. It was long felt that integrating mental health with primary care by training and supporting primary health care personnel to deliver basic mental health care was the best way to provide care for those in need of mental health services in the developing countries. This has been recently echoed by an international consortium as well. The national mental health program, and later the district mental health program, has been right and ambitious steps in this direction. However, effective coverage for severe mental disorders and epilepsy continues to be very low. While there are vast variations across regions of the country, the highest treatment gaps are in rural areas because of inequities in the distribution of mental health resources and variable implementation of mental health program across states. We now know what to do, but we have to begin doing it effectively. It is indeed high time that we prioritize rural and community mental health in India.http://www.indjsp.org/article.asp?issn=0971-9962;year=2018;volume=34;issue=4;spage=289;epage=291;aulast=IsaacCommunitymental healthcarerural
spellingShingle Mohan Isaac
Prioritizing rural and community mental health in India: Now, more than Ever Before
Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry
Community
mental healthcare
rural
title Prioritizing rural and community mental health in India: Now, more than Ever Before
title_full Prioritizing rural and community mental health in India: Now, more than Ever Before
title_fullStr Prioritizing rural and community mental health in India: Now, more than Ever Before
title_full_unstemmed Prioritizing rural and community mental health in India: Now, more than Ever Before
title_short Prioritizing rural and community mental health in India: Now, more than Ever Before
title_sort prioritizing rural and community mental health in india now more than ever before
topic Community
mental healthcare
rural
url http://www.indjsp.org/article.asp?issn=0971-9962;year=2018;volume=34;issue=4;spage=289;epage=291;aulast=Isaac
work_keys_str_mv AT mohanisaac prioritizingruralandcommunitymentalhealthinindianowmorethaneverbefore