Magnitude of Mental Health Problems in Nepal

Subject: Mental Health (Theory)

Overview

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. At the point where they are reluctant to seek the proper therapy, the person with serious mental problems and their family members are also singled out and discriminated against. Because mental illnesses are stigmatized, even people with neurotic problems avoid seeing mental health experts. The patriarchal nature of Nepalese culture means that women have little influence over the distribution of wealth, and because women are more likely to be pressured to produce male children, the abortion rate for female babies is greater. Thus, it causes postpartum depression and psychosis, and a small number of people receive treatment for both of these.

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.
Things to remember
  • 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.
  • At the point where they are reluctant to seek the proper treatment, the person with severe mental disorders and their family members are also singled out and discriminated against.
  • Because mental illnesses are stigmatized, even people with neurotic problems avoid seeing mental health experts.
  • The patriarchal nature of Nepalese culture means that women have little influence over the distribution of wealth, and because women are more likely to be pressured to produce male children, the abortion rate for female babies is greater.
  • Thus, it causes postpartum depression and psychosis, and a small number of people receive treatment for both of these.
Questions and Answers
  • Nepal is a country full of various cultures and traditions, but when it comes to mental health, each of these cultures shares the same concepts.
  • In Nepal, most of the people think that mentally ill people behave madly, they are1unfit to stay in society or community and even with their own family use to loss of their self-control over ever being possessed by1a holy sprits or a black magic.
  • The individual with severe mental disorders as1well as their family members are also targeted and discriminated at the point where they hesitate to come forward for the appropriate treatment.
  • Even the patients with neurotic disorders do not like to consult mental health professionals because of the stigma of mental disorders.
  • Nepalese culture is a patriarchal society so the women have limited power and control over the available resources and women are more forced to have a male child so the abortion rate of the female baby is higher. So it leads to the postnatal depression and psychosis and some of few gets treatment of all these.
  • In a case of female baby birth both the children and women are abandoned from the house so the rate of suicide is high among the women and children.
  • There is no mental health act at the national level and the community mental health programs are also not adequate.
  • Only a few of the mentally ill peoples get treatment and care, there are only 50 beds in a central mental hospital for around 3 million people.
  • The Nepali Civil Code 1963/34 assumes state responsibility for the treatment of the mentally ill people but the legal definition of mental illness was not clarified and the language1of the legislation refers to someone with a broke. Mind or madness and this attitude are reflected by day to day practice where mentally ill patients are described merely as a mad.
  • In 1997, the government of Nepal adopted a national mental health policy and included mental health as an element in primary health care but the mental health continues to have a low priority on the national health agenda.
  • Only 0.14% of the national health bud6et is spent on the mental health (Nepal Government Red Book 2000/2001) and this allocation is only for hospital services.
  • There no sufficient numbers of mental health care professionals in Nepal and out o4 these few number of professionals majority of them are practicing in the urban areas.
  • There are absences of the mental health services in rural areas.
  • There are no official records of the mental illness prevalence rates in the Nepal Government.
  • There are many innocent mentally ill people in the Nepal’s jails than that in the psychiatric wards.
  • The people who have been fully recovering from the mental illness are still stigmatized and discriminated into the society and also from the work place as per their past mental history basis.

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