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. 2017 Jan-Mar;59(1):46-55.
doi: 10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_333_16.

Twelve-month prevalence and treatment gap for common mental disorders: Findings from a large-scale epidemiological survey in India

Rajesh Sagar  1 , Raman Deep Pattanayak  1 , R Chandrasekaran  2 , Pranit K Chaudhury  3 , Balbir S Deswal  4 , R K Lenin Singh  5 , Savita Malhotra  6 , S Haque Nizamie  7 , Bharat N Panchal  8 , T P Sudhakar  9 , J K Trivedi  10 , Mathew Varghese  11 , Jagdish Prasad  12 , Somnath Chatterji  13
Affiliations

Twelve-month prevalence and treatment gap for common mental disorders: Findings from a large-scale epidemiological survey in India

Rajesh Sagar et al. Indian J Psychiatry. 2017 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Background: Common mental disorders, such as mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, are significant contributors to disability globally, including India. Available research is, however, limited by methodological issues and heterogeneities.

Aim: The present paper focuses on the 12-month prevalence and 12-month treatment for anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in India.

Materials and methods: As part of the World Health Organization World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative, in India, the study was conducted at eleven sites. However, the current study focuses on the household sample of 24,371 adults (≥18 years) of eight districts of different states, covering rural and urban areas. Respondents were interviewed face-to-face using the WMH Composite International Diagnostic Interview after translation and country-specific adaptations. Diagnoses were generated as per the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition, Diagnostic Criteria for Research.

Results: Nearly 49.3% of the sample included males. The 12-month prevalence of common mental disorders was 5.52% - anxiety disorders (3.41%), mood disorders (1.44%), and substance use disorders (1.18%). Females had a relatively higher prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders, and lower prevalence of substance use disorders than males. The 12-month treatment for people with common mental disorders was 5.09% (range 1.66%-11.55% for individual disorders). The survey revealed a huge treatment gap of 95%, with only 5 out of 100 individuals with common mental disorders receiving any treatment over the past year.

Conclusion: The survey provides valuable data to understand the mental health needs and treatment gaps in the Indian population. Despite the 12-month prevalence study being restricted to selected mental disorders, these estimates are likely to be conservative due to under-reporting or inadequate detection due to cultural factors.

Keywords: Anxiety disorders; India; common mental disorders; mood disorders; prevalence; substance use.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

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