NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMME (NMHP) 1982

Introduction:- The government of India launched national Mental health programme in 1982 with a view
to ensure availability of mental healthcare services for all, especially the community at risk and under
privileged selection of the population, to encourage application of mental health knowledge in general
health care and social development.

The aims of the national mental health programme are:-

 Prevention and treatment of mental and neurological disorders and their associated disabilities.
 Use of mental health technology to improve general health services.
 To promote community participation Indian mental health services, development and to
stimulate efforts towards self in the community.
 To apply mental health principles for improving quality of life for entire population.

The program strategies are:-

 Integration of mental health Care with primary care through the NMHP.
 Provision of tertiary care institutions for treatment of mental disorders.
 Equitable distribution of resources to strengthen mental health Care.
 Eradicating stigmatization of mentally ill patients and protecting their rights through regulatory
institutions like Central and state mental health authority.

Components:- The service components of this program include three sub programs:-

1) Treatment sub program

2) Rehabilitations
3) Prevention

1) Treatment multiple levels:-

a) Village and sub centre level:- Multi purpose workers(MPW) and health supervisors (HS) under
the supervision of medical officer(MO) to be trained for:-
 Management of psychiatric emergencies.
 Administration and supervision of maintenance, treatment for chronic psychiatric conditions.
 Diagnosis and management of Grandmal epilepsy in children’s.
 Counselling in problems related to alcohol and drug abuse.
b) Primary health centre level:-
 Supervision of MPWs performance.
 Treatment of functional psychosis.
 Treatment of uncomplicated cases of psychiatric disturbance associated with physical disease.
 Management of uncomplicated psychosocial problems.
 Epidemiological surveillance of mental morbidity.
c) At district hospital:- It was recommended that district hospital should have at least one
psychiatrist and should have 30 to 50 psychiatric bed.
d) Mental hospitals and teaching psychiatric units:- major activities of hyper centers of psychiatric
care include:-
 Help in care of difficult cases.
 Teaching.
 Specialized facilities like occupational therapy units, psychotherapy, counselling and behavioral
therapy.
2) Rehabilitation:- The components home this subgroup (program) include treatment of epileptics
and psychotics and the community level and development of rehabilitation center’s at both at
district level and higher referral center’s.
3) Prevention:- The prevention component is to be community-based with initial focus on
prevention and control of alcohol related problems. Later on problems like- addiction, acute
adjustment problems like suicidal attempts are to be addressed.