Mentally ill people do not seek help: Study

The survey found that 18 per cent of the population was suffering from a mental or physical ailment or both and nearly 31 per cent were not seeking any medical treatment.

The study also found that nearly 2.2 per cent of the population was into substance abuse and the treatment gap was most significant in this group,with only 23.68 per cent seeking professional treatment.

Mental retardation was found prevalent in 1.57 per cent of the total population and epilepsy was found in 1.4 per cent residents of the area. Nearly 1.23 per cent suffered anxiety disorders with ghabrahat as significant symptom,while only two patients (0.11 per cent) were reported to be suffering from depression.

The survey,meanwhile,found that 34.62 per cent patients with mental disorders did not seek any professional help for treatment,the corresponding figures for epileptic patients was around 30 per cent. Around 24 per cent patients with anxiety disorders did not seek any professional medical help.

Significantly,while 42.26 per cent people sighted financial reasons for not seeking any professional treatment,a large chunk of patients—32.90 per cent — said they did not feel the need for any treatment. Moreover,17.53 per cent did not have any knowledge about the specialists’ services available,while 8.25 per cent said time constraint prevented them from seeking help.