Mental Illness is as Catastrophic as Physical Illness, If Not More!

As per the data released by the Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2015-16, 10.6% (1) of the adults in India have something or other clinical mental illness, and many more suffer silently with subclinical symptoms. In India, the contribution of mental illness to disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in the year 2017 was 4.7% with an uprise of 88% from 2.5% in the year 1990. Social stress, highly competitive ecosystems, peer pressure, and erratic working schedules are some of the predisposing factors for the high prevalence of mental illness in urban areas. Mental illness has a larger economic burden on patients and it impacts even the purchasing power of the entire family. World over, mental neurological and substance use disorders collectively known as MNSUDs are recognized as a sizable factor contributing to the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) category with substantial impact on morbidity and disability. Unfortunately, in India, only 5% (one out of twenty) patients seek treatment for mental illness, and only 0.06% of the total health budget is for mental health programs. More non-medical community-based research is needed to fathom the gigantic mental illness across socioeconomic sects of society.