Mental disorders and diseases are continuously on the rise in the country and if data and the requisite figures compiled by professional agencies are to be believed , those reveal that contribution of mental disorders to the total diseases burden has doubled between 1990 and 2017. Quite latest figures are not available which by the trend as recorded during the past 17 years, could be more alarming which , however, as on 2017, it was found that 1 among 7 Indians suffered from one or the other mental problem. Depression and anxiety, though seemingly appearing in-consequential in the beginning , progressively often lead to chronic ailments starting from hallucinations and conduct disorders and even violence. What are precisely the reasons and causes, we often find getting ourselves confused with verbatim academic explanations and clinical versions and when anxiety disorders, emotional bursts, behavioural breakdowns and other abnormal tendencies become deep rooted , resolution of the particular disorder becomes very difficult.
A common parlance and ordinary analysis would lead to, rather stop for most of the time, at vulnerable people being exposed to too much of stress, high decibel noise – on roads from vehicles , in lanes, during days and especially during dead of the nights from blaring loudspeakers and DJs ; less of rest , deficit of calm composed and silent position, less concentration , fragmented and low quality sleep, pressures of office, business, career and examination related issues , non nutritious and adulterated diet , channels of less purgatives of emotions and pent up feelings , domestic neglect and discrimination , failures in ambitions, remissness in marriage and love related matters, seclusion and forlorn conditions and the like. As many as 197 million Indians in latest findings (in the year 2017), were found to be suffering from mental disorders and how many as of now , can really be imagined and felt to be causing concern.
In our Southern states and that also among women , two most common diseases of depression and anxiety were found in alarming proportions . The position in rural and far flung areas is even worse for two reasons, firstly non reporting of the cases or no data compilation and secondly, treatment from quacks or resorting to superstitious “remedies”. Many such areas reveal another gory picture that of ill treatment, bashing and even chaining of the patients . There are certain questions and queries needing to be replied . Whether there is a national level strategy evolved to address the issue or it is treated as states and UTs specific problem . Whether these diseases are viewed with the same seriousness as other prevalent diseases . Whether policies and plans are evolved to address those causes which are responsible for the vulnerable to fall prey to various mental disorders? Whether data has been compiled to find the particular age group becoming more susceptible to such diseases and strategies evolved accordingly? Whether incidences of committing suicides were the effect of certain mental disorders like depression and unfounded feeling of self guilt or being of no import or unable to be found useful to the society? Last but not the least, whether regular status audit of designated hospitals was conducted to find out the quality of treatment and care made available to such patients.
Now, no one can dispute that most of the health centres and institutions in the country “treating” mental disorders lack not only matching infrastructural facilities but the general condition of and the treatment received by the patients needed lot of improvement. We have National Mental Health Policy (NMHP) with impressive vision, goals and objectives but it is widely seen that implementation and ground results are not as impressive as the crux of the NMHP claims. One of the main objectives of the policy is focus on rural and remote areas , educationally and socially backward areas and to identify and address their social, biological and psychological problems and provide adequate interventions but much needs to be done as very less is being actually seen achieved on the ground.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel