Mental healthcare should be considered a mainstream healthcare rather than a parallel system

Dr Jothi Neeraja, Founder, Maarga Mind Care, in an interaction with Kalyani Sharma, discusses why India must reimagine mental health as an integral part of primary healthcare, outlining how early screening, community integration, technology-led continuity of care, and stigma reduction are essential to bridge the country's vast treatment gap and build a truly inclusive mental health ecosystem

- Kalyani Sharma

Despite growing awareness, India still faces one of the world's widest mental health treatment gaps. In your view, what structural or systemic changes are most critical to improve accessibility and continuity of care?

In my opinion, this is the greatest change that India requires since mental healthcare should be considered a mainstream healthcare rather than a parallel system. Our present practice is still disjointed. Patients usually come to us when the symptoms are already complex and becomes a crisis situation. If we introduce mental health screening and counselling into all primary healthcare facilities, we will be able to manage early prevention as opposed to reactive treatment.

The next important action is the establishment of a smooth continuum of care that starts with crisis intervention and recovery in the long term. This entails digital systems, telepsychiatry and structured followups that will see that patients don't fall through the cracks once discharge. This philosophy was precisely what our C2R+ model Crisis to Recovery and Beyond was created for at Maarga.

Lastly, it is necessary to address stigma particularly on the family level and the community level. Awareness should be transformed into acceptance and empathy. As societies start to see mental health as a component of health and wellness, access naturally increases.

How can India's healthcare system integrate mental health more effectively into primary and community healthcare, especially in rural and semi-urban settings?