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India's mental health crisis must not be hijacked by those with dubious methods

- By Dr Alok Kulkarni

In a nation of over 1.4 billion, India's mental health landscape is a ticking time bomb. Nearly 197 million Indians—one in seven—live with some form of mental disorder, according to the Global Burden of Disease study.

Depression and anxiety top the list, worsened by rapid urbanisation, economic pressures and the lingering psychological scars of the pandemic. Yet, access to professional help remains a distant dream for most.

India has 0.75 psychiatrists per one lakh people, far below the World Health Organization's recommended three per lakh—although this picture is rapidly changing.

With approximately 9,000-11,000 psychiatrists in India against a required 36,000, it means more than 80 per cent of those with severe mental illness receive no formal care. Stigma, high costs and an acute shortage of professionals have resulted in treatment gaps ranging from 70 to 92 per cent—leaving millions vulnerable.

This vacuum has been eagerly filled by a burgeoning army of self-proclaimed wellness gurus. Social media platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, are teeming with influencers promising quick fixes for mental anguish. From celebrity life coaches to viral “healers”, these people capitalise on desperation, peddling unverified advice in a market projected to reach trillions globally.

In India, where traditional healing blends with modern digital trends, the allure is particularly strong. Beneath the glossy reels, however, lies a perilous underbelly: dubious methods, with little or no scientific backing, often leading to delayed treatment and intense suffering.

Wellness gurus urge followers to "visualise" their worries away, drawing from the law of attraction—a pseudoscientific idea popularised by self-help literature.