A Review on Burden of Psychiatric Illness in India

Mental illness in India is one of the most challenging disorders that causes an extreme burden to the patients as well as their caregivers. Denial and reluctance to seek treatment are frequent responses to mental illness. According to the World Health Organization, there are 2,443 disability-adjusted life years lost due to mental health issues for every 100,000 people. Hence, there is a need to study about the mental illness and its burden which will help in initiating policies for improving the quality of life of mentally ill patient as well as for their caregivers and in developing strategies for the reduction of burden of mental illness. This review explains about the scenario of mental illness in India, its burden, and steps to improve it.