Mental health services in rural India: a big challenge still to be met

There has been a decline in the rural population of India from nearly 82% to about 65% over the past six decades. The National Mental Health Survey of India (2015-2016) reported a lower prevalence of mental disorders in rural areas compared with urban ones. Mental health services in the country are skewed towards the urban areas, and more families are pushed below the poverty line while getting treatment for a member with mental illness. India has expanded its District Mental Health Programme over the past two decades, and it now covers nearly all the districts in the country. Despite that, significant numbers of people with mental disorders, ranging from 70-90%, do not receive adequate treatment. This paper discusses the rural-urban divide in the mental health services, examining the problem and need, and the initiatives taken by the government of India in this direction.