A Socio-Economic and Demographic Analysis of Mental Wellbeing : The Indian Case

A Socio-Economic and Demographic Analysis of Mental Wellbeing: The Indian Case takes a multidisciplinary look at the mental health problem in India with contributions from psychologists, economists and a psychiatrist. Such a novel multidimensional view is necessary as the mitigation of the problem requires the design of appropriate institutional frameworks for medical treatment and counselling based on cost-benefit analysis; an appreciation of the socio-economic triggers of mental illness and how these can be neutralized through policy; and the identification of vulnerable groups as well as important mechanisms through which these groups can protect themselves from mental illness. This book will serve as a catalyst for the further use of interdisciplinarity in tackling the mental health problem in India and other developing countries: while psychologists and psychiatrists can develop appropriate institutional strategies for dealing with mental health problems, the economist plays an important role in measuring the costs and benefits associated with alternative strategies and in optimizing choice. The significance of this book can be attributed to the fact that one of every six people in the world live in India: any notable success in reducing the incidences of mental illness and deficient mental wellbeing in this country will lighten the socio-economic burden on the world by a significant amount. The Indian story, with its successes and failures, can also be an important guide for policy in other developing countries. This book is accessible to any interested person (a layperson, policy maker or an academic) in any part of the world. At the same time, the arguments and conclusions are derived with enough rigour to satisfy the most demanding reader.