1 in 5 kids has mental illness, 1 in 50 treated

Health Worker Crunch Hits Developing Nations: Study

Kounteya Sinha TNN 

New Delhi: One in 5 children in developing countries like India has a mental health problem. Globally, mental health problems affect 10–20% of children and adolescents. However, while 1 in 3 people with a mental health problem in wealthy nations receive treatment, in developing countries, it is as few as 1 in 50. 
    One of the main reasons for this is that there is an overall shortage of 2.39 lakh mentalhealth workers (17.3 workers per one lakh population in low-income countries and 14.9 per lakh population in middle-income countries). For young people, neuropsychiatric disorders are a leading cause of health-related burden, accounting for 15–30% of the disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost during the first three decades of life. Children and adolescents constitute almost a third (2.2 billion individuals) of the world's population and almost 90% live in low-income and middleincome countries (LMIC), where they form up to 50% of the population. These are some of the findings of the four studies on mental health published in the Lancet on Monday. Only 10% of trials of mental health interventions come from LMIC, and most of these are for drug-based interventions not psychosocial strategies. 
    Dr Vikram Patel, lead editor of the Lancet series and professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told TOI, "The main problem in countries like India is that services for mental health are fragmented and are being provided by different organizations. There is no real connection between the services. Shortage of skilled human resources particularly specialists besides lack of good leadership is a major problem." 
    According to Dr Patel, despite their relevance as a leading cause of health-related disability in the age group and their long-lasting effects throughout life, the mental health needs of kids and adolescents are neglected, especially in low-income and middle-income countries.