The National Mental Health Program was launched in India in 1982 to address the high burden of mental illness and lack of infrastructure at the time. The program aims to prevent and treat mental disorders and disabilities, use mental health services to improve general health, and apply mental health principles to national development. Key objectives are ensuring minimum mental health care for all, integrating mental health into general healthcare, and promoting community participation. The program takes an integrated approach, utilizing existing health services and providing training to staff. It includes treatment at various levels, rehabilitation, and prevention focused initially on alcohol issues and later on other problems.

1. NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH
PROGRAM
Presenter
Ms Neha Bhatt
Lecturer
Naincy College Of Nursing

2. NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM
• The government of India launched the
National Mental Health Program in 1982 ,
keeping in view the heavy burden of mental
illness in the community , and the absolute
inadequacy of mental health care
infrastructure in the country to deal with it.

3. AIMS
• Prevention and treatment of mental
neurological disorder and their associated
disabilities .
• Use of mental health technology to improve
general health services.
• Application of mental health principles in total
national development to improve quality of
life.

4. Objectives
• To ensure availability and accessibility of
minimum/Basic mental health care to all the
needy especially the poor from rural, slum and
tribal areas.
• To encourage application of mental health
knowledge in general health care and social
development.
• Promotion of community participation in mental
health service development and increase of
efforts towards self-help in the community.

5. Approaches
• Integration of mental health care services with
the existing general health services.
• Utilization of the existing infrastructure of
health services and also deliver the minimum
mental health care services.
• Provision of appropriate task-oriented training
to the existing health staff.
• Linkage of mental health services with the
existing community development program.

6. Components
I- Treatment- Multiple levels were planned
A. Village and sub-center level multipurpose
workers (MPW)and health supervisors (HS),
under the supervision of medical
officer(MO) to be trained for:
a. management of psychiatric emergencies
b. administration and supervision of
maintenance treatment for chronic
psychiatric disorders

7. c. diagnosis and management of grandmal
epilepsy, especially in children
d. liaison with local school teachers and parents
regarding mental retardation and behavioral
problems in children
e. counseling in problems related to alcohol and
drug abuse

8. B. MO of Primary Health Centre (PHC)aided by HS,
to be trained for:
a. supervision of MPW's performance
b. elementary diagnosis
c. treatment of functional psychosis
d. treatment of uncomplicated cases of psychiatric
disorders associated with physical diseases
e. management of uncomplicated psychosocial
problems
f. epidemiological surveillance of mental morbidity

9. C. District hospital: It was recognized that there
should be at least one psychiatrist attached to
every district hospital as an integral part of the
district health services. The district hospital
should have 30-50 psychiatric beds.
• The psychiatrist in a district hospital was
supposed to devote only a part of his time to
clinical care and a greater part in training and
supervision of non-specialist health workers.

10. D. Mental hospitals and teaching psychiatric
units: Major activities of these higher centers
of psychiatric care include:
a. Help In Care Of 'Difficult' Cases
b. Teaching
c. Specialized Facilities Like, Occupational
Therapy Units, Psychotherapy, Counseling And
Behavioral Therapy

11. II. Rehabilitation
• The components of this sub-program include
treatment of epileptics and psychotics at the
community levels and development of
rehabilitation centers at both the district level
and higher referral centers.

12. III. Prevention
• The prevention component is to be
community based, with initial focus on
prevention and control of alcohol-related
problems. Later on, problems like addictions,
juvenile delinquency and acute adjustment
problems like suicidal attempts are to be
addressed.