Anti-stigma campaigns crucial to promoting mental well being and reducing treatment gap, says NIMHANS paper 

A paper by NIMHANS researchers has emphasised that anti-stigma campaigns, such as “Mental Health Santhe”, can promote mental well being, dispel myths and misconceptions, and reduce the treatment gap. The paper was recently published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine.

A paper by NIMHANS researchers has emphasised that anti-stigma campaigns, such as “Mental Health Santhe”, can promote mental well being, dispel myths and misconceptions, and reduce the treatment gap. The paper was recently published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine.

NIMHANS has been conducting “Mental Health Santhe”, an unique anti-stigma campaign, for the last two years to raise awareness about mental health issues and suicide prevention, including the accessibility of resources, interventions, treatment facilities, emerging scope for education, and research. The third one is scheduled to be held on October 15.

“The Mental Health Santhe initiative will emphasise incorporating robust statistical methodologies in upcoming editions. This strategic shift aims to bolster the initiative’s efficacy by enabling more accurate data collection and analysis, thereby providing valuable insights into the event’s impact on mental health awareness and help-seeking behaviors,” said K.S. Meena, professor and head of the Department of Mental Health Education at NIMHANS.

“Stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide is prevalent worldwide, inhibiting people from seeking help and limiting their access to available mental health facilities. Consequently, it widens the gap in the treatment of mental health. There have been innumerable anti-stigma initiatives by lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) that have replicated the already existing strategies used by high-income countries (HICs), hoping for a similar outcome. Our article highlights the necessity for launching an anti-stigma campaign tailored to our demographics, with a strong focus on using an emic approach as its foundation,” said Dr. Meena, who is the corresponding author of the article.

Findings from the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) conducted from 2015 to 2016 underscored a substantial treatment gap for mental health in India, reaching as high as 83.4%.

In the realm of mental healthcare service and resource utilisation, various factors contribute to the treatment gap, encompassing a lack of perceived necessity, societal stigma, insufficient awareness regarding the accessibility and availability of healthcare resources, financial constraints hindering treatment affordability and uncertainty regarding treatment efficacy. “Among these factors, stigma and discrimination against individuals with mental and behavioural disorders emerge as the foremost barrier, necessitating community attention.” the doctor pointed out.

Recent studies have elucidated the detrimental impact of mental illness stigmatisation manifesting in diminished self-esteem, poor quality of life, negative perceptions toward mental health services, lack of social support, and unfavourable prognosis for affected individuals.