Depression and anxiety disorders affect 50 million people in India, and more than 7,000 people committed suicide in 2014, union health minister J P Nadda said in a written statement in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
"In 2005, the National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health reported that 10-20 million (1-2% of the population) suffer from severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and nearly 50 million (5% of the population) from common mental disorders like depression and anxiety,” said Nadda.
"As per the accidental deaths and suicides in India reports published by National Crime Records Bureau, the incidents of suicides due to mental illness in 2012 was 7,769, 2013 was 8,006 and 2014 was 7,104," Nadda said.
India has 3,800 psychiatrists, 898 clinical psychologists, 850 psychiatric social workers and 1,500 psychiatric nurses.
Three mental health institutes run by the Centre, 40 by states, and 398 departments of psychiatry in medical colleges across the country.
"To address the acute shortage of qualified mental health professionals in the country, government is implementing manpower development schemes for establishment of centres for excellence and strengthening and establishing post graduate departments in mental health specialties," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"To address the acute shortage of qualified mental health professionals in the country, government is implementing manpower development schemes for establishment of centres for excellence and strengthening and establishing post graduate departments in mental health specialties," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Apart from setting up 11 centres for excellence and strengthening 27 PG departments, the Centre has approved a proposal to establish an additional 10 centres of excellence and 93 PG departments and expand district mental health programme to cover 550 districts during 12th Five Year plan, he said.