National Mental Health Program of India I NMHP 1982 I Community Mental Health Services I

National Mental Health Program of India (NMHP 1982)
It is estimated that 10% of population suffers from mental disorders at any given point in time. One in four families is likely to have at least one member with a behavioral or mental disorder (WHO 2001). These families not only provide physical and emotional support, but also bear the negative impact of stigma and discrimination. Most of them remain un-treated. Poor awareness about symptoms of mental illness, myths & stigma related to it, lack of knowledge on the treatment availability & potential benefits of seeking treatment are important causes for the high treatment gap.
The Government of India has launched the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) in 1982, with the following objectives:
- To ensure the availability and accessibility of minimum mental healthcare for all in the foreseeable future, particularly to the most vulnerable and underprivileged sections of the population;
- To encourage the application of mental health knowledge in general healthcare and in social development; and
- To promote community participation in the mental health service development and to stimulate efforts towards self-help in the community.
In the XI Five Year Plan, the NMHP has the following components/schemes:
1. District Mental Health Programme (DMHP)
2. Manpower Development Schemes - Centers Of Excellence And Setting Up/Strengthening PG Training Departments of Mental Health Specialities
3. Modernization Of State Run Mental Hospitals
4. Up gradation of Psychiatric Wings of Medical Colleges/General Hospitals
5. IEC
6. Training & Research
7. Monitoring & Evaluation
Manpower Development Schemes - Centers of Excellence and Setting Up/Strengthening PG Training Departments of Mental Health Specialities are the new schemes/components.
As the NMHP, has completed more than three decades, the lessons learned from the past can bring about a lot of insights about the future course of action. Leadership at all the levels of governance/administration and financial and human resources have been important determinants for the outcome of the program, so are community and stakeholders’ participation standardization of training for community mental health professionals, IEC activities, the involvement of NGOs and private sectors, and a robust M and E mechanism. Though NMHP has given due consideration to these issues and many of these aspects have been incorporated in the on-going programme, its progress needs regular monitoring and mid-term correction, if required, for effective implementation. Overall, the current review shows that the NMHP has been a blend of achievements and failures.
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