Changing Scene of Mental Health Care in Shivpuri District of M.P.

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To ensure availability and accessibility of minimum mental health care for all in the future; to provide sustainable basic mental health services to the community and to integrate these services with other health services; early detection and treatment of patients within the community itself; to see that patient and their relatives do not have to travel long distance to go to hospitals or nursing homes in the cities; to take pressure off the mental hospitals; to change the attitude of people towards mental illnesses by public education. Methodology: Retrospective analysis of OPD records of GMA and District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) to find out the total numbers of patients in the psychiatric OPD of the Mental Hospital, (GMA) Gwalior and DMHP-Shivpuri. Results/ conclusions: The observation showed that with the implementation of DMHP, higher number of psychiatric patients are availing mental health facilities in the community. It was observed that the number of the patients taking institutional care is going down gradually.