Magnitude of Mental Health Problems in Nepal

Magnitude of Mental Health Problems in Nepal

• Although Nepal is a country with many different cultures and customs, every one of them has the same ideas when it comes to mental health.
• Most people in Nepal believe that mentally ill people behave erratically, are unfit to live in a community or society, and even lose control around their own family before ever becoming possessed by a holy spirit or being subjected to black magic.
• People with severe mental illnesses and their families are targeted and discriminated against to the point where they are reluctant to speak out.d for the appropriate treatment.
• Because mental illnesses are stigmatized, even patients with neurotic disorders avoid seeing mental health professionals.
• The patriarchal nature of Nepalese culture means that women have little influence over the distribution of resources, and because women are more likely to be pressured to have male children, the abortion rate for female babies is higher. Thus, it causes postpartum depression and psychosis, and a small number of people receive treatment for both of these.
• Since mothers who give birth to children are frequently left alone in the house, both women and children experience high rates of suicide.
• At the federal level, there is no mental health act, and the community mental health initiatives are similarly insufficient.
• With only 50 beds in a major mental hospital for almost 3 million patients, only a small percentage of those who are mentally ill receive treatment and care.
• However, the legal definition of mental illness was not made clear, and the language1of the legislation refers to someone with a broke. This is contrary to the Nepali Civil Code 1963/34, which places state responsibility for the treatment of mentally ill people. Daily practice, in which individuals with mental illnesses are simply referred to as "crazy," reflects this mentality and the term "mind or lunacy."
• Although the government of Nepal adopted a national mental health policy in 1997 and included mental health as a component of primary healthcare, the issue of national mental health remains of low priority.
• According to the Nepal Government Red Book 2000/2001, only hospital services are covered by the nation's 0.14% allocation for mental health.
• In Nepal, there are not enough medical professionals who specialize in mental health treatment, and of those who do, the majority work in cities.
• The availability of mental health care is lacking in rural locations.
• The Nepali government doesn't have any official statistics on the prevalence of mental illness.
• More innocent mentally ill people are imprisoned in Nepal than are treated in psychiatric wards.
• According to their past mental histories, people who have fully recovered from mental illness still face stigma and discrimination in society and at work.