The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Making mental health a priority

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Wednesday, Oct 08, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Making mental health a priority

Staff Reporter

‘30 per cent of people worldwide have mental disorder’

VISAKHAPATNAM: Mental health is defined by the World Health Organisation as a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with normal stress of life, can work more productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to the community.

According to N.N. Raju, Professor of psychiatry, Andhra Medical College and the Government Hospital for Mental Care, a good mental health also highlights the flexibility to deal with life’s inevitable challenges.

World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10. Dr. Raju says this year the World Federation of Mental Health’s theme is “Making mental health a global priority: scaling up services through citizen advocacy and action.” The campaign will encourage renewed attention to the need for well informed mental health policy and the need to integrate it more carefully into general public health system.

Dr. Raju says mental disorders make substantial contributions to the global burden of disease. This is a global measure of so-called disability adjusted life years assigned to a certain disease which is a sum of years lived with disability and years of life lost due to the disease. Neuropsychiatric conditions account for 14 per cent of global burden of disease.

He says up to 30 per cent of all people worldwide have mental disorder and the proportion of people with mental disorders who would need treatment but who do not receive mental health care is very high.

Quoting statistics, Dr. Raju says in India about 10 per cent of the population suffers from common mental disorders like depression, 5 per cent have ill effects of alcohol and other drug consumption, 1 per cent suffers from schizophrenia. Four per cent of the elders population has dementia. Amongst children 2 per cent suffer from intellectual malfunctioning and another 5 per cent have emotional conduct disorder.

Family support

Mental and behavioural problems place a heavy burden on families and communities too. Families are required to provide physical and emotional support in addition to financial loss. Minor mental and emotional disorders called social anxiety disorder lead to sudden bouts of depression or anxiety. Interview blues, stage fright, avoiding social interaction are some of them, points out Dr. Raju. Those suffering from depressive disorder lack the drive to work. Life does not look charming or enjoyable to them. Schizophrenia and Manic depressive disorder are major mental diseases. “It’s tricky to treat them as they do not believe that they are ill,” explains Dr. Raju.

In contrast, people who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

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