Open AccessMental healthcare Act 2017: Need to wait and watch
Author(s) -
Abhisek Mishra,
Abhiruchi Galhotra
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
international journal of applied and basic medical research/international journal of applied and basic medical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2248-9606
pISSN - 2229-516X
DOI - 10.4103/ijabmr.ijabmr_328_17
Subject(s) - mental health , shame , mental healthcare , psychiatry , depression (economics) , health care , mentally ill , population , psychology , medicine , nursing , mental illness , political science , social psychology , law , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics
Mental health is different from general health as in certain circumstances mentally ill people may not be in a position to make decisions on their own. Those who suffer rarely get access to appropriate medical treatment as their families try to hide their condition out of a sense of shame. Over 300 million people are estimated to suffer from depression, equivalent to 4.4% of the world's total population. According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, 1 in 40 and 1 in 20 people are suffering from the past and current episodes of depression in India. In spite of this big burden of mental health issues, unfortunately, it continues to be misunderstood in developing countries like India. The new Mental Healthcare Act 2017 rescinds/revoked the existing Mental Healthcare Act 1987 which had been widely criticized for not recognizing the rights of a mentally ill person.