ECONOMIC SURVEY 2024 ADDRESSES MENTAL HEALTH
Kartavya Desk Staff
Syllabus: Social justice
- •Source: PIB*
Context: Economic Survey 2024 Addresses Mental Health at the Economic Level for the First Time Ever
National Prevalence of Mental Health
• Mental Disorders: 10.6% of Indian adults suffer from mental disorders (NMHS 2015-16).
• Treatment Gap: Ranges from 70% to 92% for different disorders.
• Urban vs. Rural: Higher mental morbidity in urban metro regions (13.5%) compared to rural (6.9%) and urban non-metro areas (4.3%).
• Adolescent Mental Health: Increased poor mental health among adolescents, with 11% feeling anxious, 14% experiencing extreme emotions, and 43% having mood swings (NCERT Survey), exacerbated by COVID-19.
The Economic Survey highlights the significant impact of mental health disorders on the economy:
• Productivity Losses: Absenteeism, decreased productivity, and disability.
• Increased Healthcare Costs: Higher expenditures for treatment and care.
• Poverty and Mental Health: Stressful living conditions, financial instability, and limited opportunities increase psychological distress.
Government Initiatives:
Initiative/Policy | Details
National Mental Health Programme | Upgraded over 1.73 lakh Sub Health Centres, Primary Health Centres, Urban PHCs, and Urban Health and Wellness Centres to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs providing mental health services.
National Tele Mental Health Programme | Established 53 Tele MANAS cells in 34 states/UTs with over 1600 trained counselors in 20 languages, handling more than 8.07 lakh calls since Oct 2022 (as of 31 March 2024).
Increasing Mental Health Personnel | Sanctioned 25 Centres of Excellence to increase PG students’ intake, strengthened 47 PG Departments in 19 Government medical colleges/institutions, provided mental health services to 22 AIIMS, and set up three Digital Academies for online training.
Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram | Conducted Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHC) and Peer education programmes across the country.
NIMHANS and iGOT-Diksha Collaboration | NIMHANS (Bengaluru) provides psychosocial support and training via iGOT-Diksha platform. Conducts online training for health workers.
WHO | On World Mental Health Day 2023 (October 10), WHO underscored the theme that “Mental health is a universal human right.”
Paro Declaration | Adoption of the Paro Declaration, which aims to provide universal access to People-centred Mental Health Care and Services.
Recommendations of Economic Survey:
Policy Recommendation | Details
Increase Number of Psychiatrists | Raise from 0.75 psychiatrists per lakh population (2021) to WHO norm of 3 per lakh.
Comprehensive Guidelines | Develop for excellence centers’ services alongside mental healthcare professionals and users.
Programme Effectiveness | Gather feedback from users, professionals, and stakeholders to assess and improve programmes.
Peer Support Networks | Nurture networks, self-help groups, and community-based rehabilitation to de-stigmatize mental disorders.
NGO Partnerships | Scale up efforts, share knowledge, and leverage resources to enhance policies and identify areas of improvement.
Involve Individuals with Experience | Engage those with personal experience in decision-making, service planning, and advocacy.
Early Identification | Sensitize mental health at preschool, Anganwadi level for early disorder identification.
Standardized Guidelines | Standardize mental health services across government and private sectors.
School Integration | Develop age-appropriate mental health curriculum, encourage early intervention, and promote community-level interactions.
Community Approach | Adopt a bottom-up, whole-of-community approach to address mental health and break the stigma.
Acknowledge Reluctance | Public health officials should tackle mental health by addressing fundamental personal reluctance.