India’s First Mental Health Policy May Decriminalise Attempt To Suicide

A country that formed its own constitution nearly seven decades ago, and has been touted to be the next super force that would reckon the world, was yet to come of age with many aspects. What makes India a bag of contradictions? Is it its conventional outlook or the religion running in its psyche or the nerves filled with diverse cultures or the fact that so many things still lie in the closet, waiting to be tackled?

The India that has made giant strides in the technological, economic and scientific sectors, took time off to look at its mentally ill only recently.

Till then, despite umpteen warnings by the international agencies, communities and the United Nations, mental health was less cared for. At the best, ‘ignored’ would sum the treatment dished out to mentally ill, very nicely.

India’s mentally ill were so far the responsibility of the family. And, the legal provisions that described them were framed nearly three decades ago in 1987, and still remained valid. Backing up the mental health care policy with ‘Mental Health Action Plan 365’ which clearly carves out the specific roles to be played by the central government, state, and agencies appointed by governments. The mental health bill, which is ready to be tabled in the Parliament soon, has held a huge ray of hope for those who are suffering under severity of mental illness and limited treatment they could access so far.

The policy calls for more number of mental health professionals to be trained, and work on par with the primary health care centres, through both rural and urban areas to be able to deal with the burgeoning number of patients who come with illnesses that go beyond just a physical condition.

According to United Nations, about 20% of the people in total population of India will suffer from various mental illnesses by the end of the decade. Mental health has long been ignored in India. Given the fact that India spends only 0.06% of its total budget on mental health – which is equivalent to not spending at all on this area, there is a great urgency with which the matter has to be dealt by the governments at all levels.

India’s miniscule 0.06% spending on mental health would seem like a joke in front of what we believe the ‘poor’ Bangladesh spends on the mental health of its people. Because, the ‘poor’ and ‘poverty stricken’ Bangladesh sets aside more than 0.44 per cent of its total budget on mental health care spending.

Brazil, which is on par with India in more ways than one, spends a good 2.38% of its total budget on the mental wellbeing of its people, and plans to increase the amount in the coming years.

Japan is at a comfortable nearly 5% of its budget on creating better facilities and offering support to its people who are suffering from problems relating to mental health. United States of America is well behind UK with a spending of 6.2% on mental health facilities, while the latter spends nearly 11% of its total budget for this purpose.

Most bleak picture about India’s mental health care is the absence of trained professionals. There is only one psychiatrist to every 343,000 people. The country has not laid as much emphasis as it should, on mental health, as against the physical health of its people.

One of the most salient features of the policy is that it seeks decriminalisation of those who attempt suicide. The policy throws light on the largely neglected need to offer support for the caregivers who are invariably the family members. Technological strides apart, large part of India still struggles with the challenges posed by changing mental health scenario among people.

India’s maiden attempt to reach Mars was met with success, and the country humbly hopes things change at the ground level too.