Mental health and the tribal perspective

Mental health problems have risen considerably even in the tribal areas but the information and treatment seeking is still low. Mental health is not an isolated concept. It is affected by several factors. One of the important factors is mental health literacy which decides the health seeking behavior. It’s important to check whether people from tribal areas know about mental health, how they seek health treatment and what are the barriers in seeking help. The geographical location as well as socioeconomic factors in the tribal block of Gadchiroli can lead to mental stress and cause mental health problems in people. So, the present study was conducted to understand the awareness among people, health seeking behavior towards mental health problems in the tribal block of Gadchiroli district. The result will help in understanding the mental health seeking behavior of tribals in the tribal block of Gadchiroli district as well as stigma, discrimination against people with mental illness. The study will also help in initiating community based mental health care and community-based initiatives for mental promoting mental health.