The National Mental Health Program was launched in 1982 in India to address the inadequate infrastructure for treating widespread mental illness. Its objectives are to ensure minimum mental health care for all, integrate mental health into general healthcare, and encourage community participation. It aims to achieve this through strategies like integrating mental health into primary care, providing tertiary institutions, and protecting patient rights. The approaches include integrating services, utilizing existing infrastructure, training health staff, and linking to community programs. Components include treatment at village, PHC, and district hospital levels; rehabilitation; and prevention focused initially on alcohol problems.

2. CONCEPT…
• The Government of India Launched the
National Mental Health Program (NMHP) in
1982, keeping in view the heavy burden of
mental illness in the community & the
absolute inadequacy of mental health care
infrastructure in the country to deal with it.

3. AIM…
1. Prevention & treatment of mental
neurological disorders & their associated
disabilities.
2. Use of mental health technology to improve
general health services.
3. Application of mental health principles in
total national development to improve
quality of life.

4. OBJECTIVES…
1. To ensure availability & accessibility of minimum
mental health care for all in the foreseeable
future, particularly to the most vulnerable &
underprivileged sections of the population.
2. To encourage application of mental health
knowledge in general health care & social
development.
3. To promote community participation in the
mental health services development & to
stimulate efforts towards self-help in the
community.

5. STRATEGIES…
1. Integration of mental health with primary
health care through the NMHP;
2. Provision of tertiary care institutions for
treatment of mental disorders;
3. Eradicating stigmatization of mentally ill
patients & protecting their rights through
regulatory institutions like the central
mental health authority, & state mental
health authority.

6. APPROACHES…
1. Integration of mental health care services with
the existing health services.
2. Utilization of the existing infrastructure of health
services & also deliver the minimum mental
health care services.
3. Provision of appropriate task-oriented training to
the existing health staff.
4. Linkage of mental health services with the
existing community development program.

7. COMPONENTS…
I. Treatment: Multiple levels
II. Rehabilitation
III. Prevention

8. I. Treatment: Multiple levels
A. Village & sub-center Level Multipurpose Workers
(MPW) & Health Supervisors (HS), under the
supervision of Medical Officer (MO) to be trained for:
a. Management of psychiatric emergencies.
b. Administration & supervision of maintenance
treatment for chronic psychiatric disorders.
c. Diagnosis & management of grandmal epilepsy,
especially in children.
d. Liaison with local school teachers & parents regarding
mental retardation & behavioral problems in children.
e. Counseling problems related to alcohol & drug abuse.

9. Count…
B. MO of primary Health Center (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.

10. Count…
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
envisaged to devote only a part of his time to
clinical care & a greater part in training &
supervision of non-specialist health workers.

11. Count…
D. Mental hospitals & 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 &
behavioral therapy.

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

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