Decentralisation of Mental Health Services under DMHP

The Bellary model of district mental health programme(DMHP) has been adopted by the government of India under the national mental health programme with the primary aim of making mental health care accessible to all by setting up psychiatric services in peripheral areas, training primary health care personnel and involving the community in promotion of mental health care. The DMHP was set up in Chandigarh in a 50 bedded Civil Hospital in a suburb of Chandigarh.This study aims to present the sociodemographic and clinical data of all cases seen in the first six months and discusses the need of decentralisation of mental health services. A total of 527 patients were seen in the first six months. 52% of the males presented with substance use disorders while a majority of the females (40%) presented with mood disorders. In patients with illness of duration more than one year, upto 51.9% had no past psychiatric treatment and 27.6% were on irregular treatment. Reasons for this are discussed. In conclusion, it was seen that decentralisation was a felt need of the community and required not only in rural but urban areas as well.