Psychiatric illnesses gaining ground

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), psychiatric conditions have become one of the top ten causes of disability in the world. They form an integral part of the statistics on disease and death and show no signs of decreasing in the next few decades. The World Health Organisation in 1990 declared five psychiatric conditions as being foremost causes of disability. Of these, depression was the most common cause of disability in a majority of persons with psychiatric illnesses. However, there have been improvements in the state of patients with psychiatric disorders, both in terms of acceptance from the society and the quality of services available. Dr. N.G. Desai, medical superintendent IHBAS (Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Delhi), says that the increase in awareness about mental disorders has led to decrease in the stigma associated with it resulting in more and more people voluntarily getting themselves registered in hospitals. He also says, that treatment measures have changed from totally medicine-oriented ones to those incorporating multi-disciplinary techniques. There has been a gradual shift from treatment with ECT or shock therapy to the use of medication that helps to treat specific symptoms by acting on the requisite part of the brain. The importance of correct and efficient social rehabilitation is slowly being recognised, Dr. Desai says. The experts, however, believe that a lot still needs to be done. More funds need to be pumped in for the training of doctors and paramedical staff especially in the rural areas. More awareness needs to be created in remote areas of the country and mental health care needs to be made more accessible.

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