WHO pegs the economic loss due to mental health conditions, between 2012-2030, at an estimated $1.03 trillion globally, while a National Mental Health Survey in India found that close to 14% of the country's population required active mental health interventions.

The positive point is that Indians today are more aware of mental health issues and are actively seeking help to address it, reveals findings by integrated healthcare company Practo.

The company has witnessed a steady increase in in-person consultations for mental health with a 44% increase YoY and a majority of these consultations are from people in the age group of 25-34 constituting 57% of the total consultations in the last year. From these, 61% were males and 39% females.

A further deep dive into Practo insights also revealed that the second wave of Covid had impacted Indians tremendously which is indicated by a steep spike of 95% in online-consultations for mental health

Issues impacting India’s mental health  (Oct 2021-Sep 2022)

Substance abuse, anxiety and depression are the leading queries on the platform.

• Substance abuse is affecting both tier 1 & 2 cities with 52% of the queries coming from tier 1 & 48% from tier 2 cities
• Among tier 1 Delhi has the highest number of queries at 20% followed by Mumbai at 10%
• However, for anxiety & depression, tier 1 cities have the greatest number of queries at 66% with the top 3 cities being Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai

Substance abuse, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) & panic are some of the areas that have seen the highest growth YoY

• In substance abuse, there is a 28% increase in queries on alcohol addiction, 53% in drug abuse & 98% in withdrawal symptoms YoY

Eating disorders and PTSD are other queries that have seen a growth of 42% YoY

City-wise breakup in terms of queries and incidence

Among tier 1, Delhi has the highest number of queries at 20%, followed by Mumbai at 10%, Bengaluru at 9%, Chennai at 6%, Hyderabad and Pune at 3% each and tier 2 at 49% (Substance Abuse)

Eating disorder

• Delhi 23%
• Bengaluru 19%
• Mumbai 13%
• Hyderabad 10%
• Pune 8%
• Chennai 6%
• Tier 2 - 21%
• Top three tier 2 cities for eating disorder are Ahmedabad, Noida & Chandigarh

PTSD:

• Delhi 30%
• Mumbai 18%
• Bengaluru 17%
• Pune 7%
• Chennai 6%
• Hyderabad 5%
• Tier 2-17%
• Top three tier 2 cities for eating disorder are Ahmedabad, Noida & Chandigarh

"While the incidence of mental health issues in the country is increasing, the silver lining is that people are recognising the importance of keeping the mind healthy and seeking help. While this is encouraging to see, privacy and anonymity are crucial when it comes to mental health and online consultations have played an important role in accessing expert help with complete privacy,” said Alexander Kuruvilla, chief healthcare strategy officer, Practo.

“Globalisation and today’s fast-paced life has had adverse effects on mental well-being. So much so that one in seven Indians are mentally ill. While there is a heightened awareness among young adults in the country, families with low awareness about mental health still act as speed breakers which can only be deflected through education. Because early identification of mental illness will help reduce the adverse impact. Additionally, an increase in the emotional contact time (ECT) and family contact time (FCT) among communities can also help,” added Harish Shetty Psychiatrist, Dr L H Hiranandani hospital who also consults on Practo.