Experts underline need for more psychiatrists, early identification

New Delhi: Healthcare experts on Sunday underlined the need for more psychiatrists and developing a support system to tackle mental health issues which they said worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic. On the eve of World Mental Health Day, they said the problem has grown rapidly and Covid contributed in bringing the topic out of the closet.

Poonam Muttreja, executive director, Population Foundation of India, noted that although Covid contributed to bringing the topic of mental health out of the closet, the current crisis started developing well before the pandemic. "Mental health problems have been growing rapidly over the last few decades, but our infrastructure has remained woefully inadequate," she said. The World Health Organisation reported in 2017 that there were about 9,000 psychiatrists practising in India, which equates to 0.75 per cent per lakh of people.

WHO estimates that the ideal ratio is three psychiatrists for every lakh of people. Similarly, India has 1.93 mental health care professionals per 10,000 residents, compared to the global average of 6.6, Muttreja said. Calling Covid-19 a great disruptor of people's lives with its uncertainties and the economic recessions, Muttreja said women, young people and disadvantaged communities have been much worse hit due to the potential loss of income and work, school shutdowns and an increase in domestic violence and household work for women during lockdowns. "Serious mental disease patients depend on routine care. For many who require such ongoing care, the shutdowns were disastrous.

Although the full effects have not yet been documented, they seem to be pervasive and quite palpable for many of us," she added.