National Mental Health Survey-2 Expands to Five Districts, Four Urban Areas in Kerala

Fast Summary

• national Mental Health Survey (NMHS-2): The second phase is being conducted by NIMHANS and launched in kerala,covering 28 States,8 Union Territories,and five districts per state along with select urban areas.
• Objectives: NMHS-2 aims to estimate the prevalence of mental disorders, assess disability and care pathways, socioeconomic impact of mental health issues, healthcare-seeking patterns, service utilization rates, and resources available for mental health care.
• Key Focus Areas: Includes COVID-related mental health impacts; anxiety disorders; mood disorders; substance use; climate change effects on mental health; internet/gaming addiction; geriatric/perinatal issues.
• Kerala Scope: Five districts (Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Wayanad & palakkad) along with urban regions (Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Ernakulam & Kozhikode).
• NMHS-1 Findings (2015-16):

– Kerala’s lifetime prevalence of mental disorders was slightly below the national average but higher at the time of survey: 11.36% vs national average of 10.6%.
– Severe conditions like schizophrenia showed a lifetime prevalence rate at 0.7%; depressive disorders at 4.8%.
– A large treatment gap noted-70-85% for common conditions and nearly 60-70% for severe ones-with onyl about 15% seeking treatment in the state.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The launch of NMHS-2 marks an vital step in understanding india’s evolving landscape of mental health challenges post-pandemic and amidst growing societal shifts such as technology dependence. with a more comprehensive approach compared to NMHS-1-including focus on emerging concerns like climate change impacts-it holds promise to considerably expand data-driven solutions for improving healthcare delivery.

Kerala’s inclusion highlights critical gaps previously identified during NMHS-1-the state had shown high localized burdens despite lower-than-average national figures-and attempts now target district-specific interventions that could help alleviate under-treatment rates observed earlier.

For policymakers nationwide including Kerala’s advisory committee members helping oversee local implementation efforts effective strategies cultivated from this new dataset may better equip public infrastructure toward reducing treatment gaps while attempting holistic prevention frameworks.Read More