E-Paper
Mental health survey from next week in Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, the survey will be conducted in 138 villages from eight districts—Ahmednagar, Solapur, Akola, Dharaashiv, Hingoli, Nandurbar, Gondia and Jalgaon
The second phase of the national mental health survey (NMHS-2) will commence next week across the state. The survey will provide information on emerging mental health issues and concerns, officials said.
The NMHS-2 will be conducted by experts from BJ Medical College (BJMC) and Sassoon General Hospital (SGH). The survey will be supported by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMANS) Bengaluru, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (MoHFW), officials said.
The NMHS-1 was conducted in 2015-16 in 12 states and provided insights by estimating the burden of mental health problems and understanding healthcare-seeking patterns. The NMHS-2 includes conducting representative surveys, launching surveillance sites, establishing cohorts for longitudinal studies, and conducting implementation research.
In Maharashtra, the survey will be conducted in 138 villages from eight districts—Ahmednagar, Solapur, Akola, Dharaashiv, Hingoli, Nandurbar, Gondia and Jalgaon. Besides, three cities Pune (27 wards), Nagpur (18 wards) and Nashik (11 wards) will be covered under the scheme. As many as 10,395 people will be included in the study, which will go on for 8 months.
Dr Muralidhar Tambe, professor and head of the Community Medicine Department at BJMC, Pune, is the principal investigator for NMHS-2 in Maharashtra. The team includes Dr Niteen Abhivant, principal investigator and professor & head of the Psychiatry Department at BJMC, as well as co-investigators from the Community Medicine Department, 3 co-investigators from the Psychiatry Department, a coordinator, and 8 field data collectors from the project staff.
Dr Niteen Abhivant, said, “A mental health system assessment will also be conducted, involving centres of excellence and educational institutions to contribute to the survey’s success.”
The NMHS 2 survey aims to provide key insights into the state of mental health in India. It will offer prevalence estimates of mental health issues across states, with pooled national data based on ICD/DSM standards.
Dr Tambe, principal investigator said, “The survey aims to highlight the burden of mental illness on families, patterns of healthcare-seeking, and the extent of service utilisation. It will assess the current mental health services available in surveyed states and offer recommendations for improvement.”
