Shortage of psychiatrists hits treatment


With the focus firmly on combating noncommunicable and lifestyle diseases, mental health is neglected in India. The subject has always received little attention as mental illness is a cause for stigma, and as a result the country has a severe shortage of mental health professionals.


For students too, clinical psychology is the last option since patients are fewer. Director of medical education Dr V Kanagasabai said, "There are very few seats for psychology and they get filled last. The burden of mental health issues like anxiety, lack of tolerance and stress is increasing rapidly among the urban and rural population."


 The country needs 11,500 psychiatrists but has just 3,500, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare. The entire mental health workforce, comprising clinical psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric social workers and psychiatric nurses stands at 7,000, while the actual requirement is 54,750.


The situation is similar in Tamil Nadu where there are just 350 psychiatrists for a population of 7.2 crore. Less than 25 psychiatrists qualify every year. Though the state has a better healthcare index than many others, it lacks adequate manpower and infrastructure for mental health programmes. As for hospitals, TN has the 1,800-bed Institute of Mental Health, a few hundred beds in medical college hospitals and district headquarters hospitals, and about 1,500 beds in private sector.


"The number of psychology seats should be increased to bridge the gap between demand and supply," said Kanagasabai.


Merely increasing seats would not make a difference as it takes more than five years to become an expert in the field of psychiatry, said Dr C Anbudurai, who works at a mental health clinic in Loyola College. "These days, anyone with a good command over the language claims to be a psychologist. To prevent this, integrated community workers should be brought into the picture," he said. Community workers could help with early detection and rehabilitation, he said.

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