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Childhood Mental Health in Rural Northeast India: Community-Linked Insights From a Retrospective Study

Vishnupriya Veeraraghavan1, Krishnan Srinivasan2

  • 1Child Development and Early Intervention Centre, Department of Paediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Guwahati, India.

Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry
|November 26, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Childhood neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and psychiatric conditions significantly impact well-being. Rural Indian children face delayed treatment due to stigma, worsening outcomes and highlighting the need for community studies.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychiatry
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Rural Health

Background:

  • Child psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) significantly affect children's well-being and family life.
  • Existing research on childhood NDD prevalence is predominantly urban, neglecting rural populations.
  • Rural communities in North-East India remain underrepresented in NDD research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders in children from rural Assam.
  • To understand the diagnostic distribution of NDDs and psychiatric conditions in a rural Indian pediatric population.
  • To identify challenges in accessing care for NDDs in rural settings.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of medical records for children diagnosed with NDDs or psychiatric disorders.
  • Inclusion of 214 children from rural Assam who provided consent.
  • Application of descriptive statistics to summarize socio-demographic and diagnostic data based on ICD-11CDDR.

Main Results:

  • Over a 20-month period, 214 children from rural Assam were included in the study.
  • Neurodevelopmental disorders were diagnosed in 36% of participants.
  • Psychiatric conditions were present in 82% of the child participants.

Conclusions:

  • NDDs present a significant burden on families in rural areas.
  • Lack of awareness and stigma in rural settings delay treatment and worsen outcomes.
  • Urgent need for community-based epidemiological studies in rural areas to inform policy and advocacy for NDDs.

Keywords:
child psychiatrycommunity psychiatryneurodevelopmental disordersprimary health

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