(Source: Varinder Chawla)Mental illness is still considered a severe disorder like schizophrenia and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by a majority of people, indicates a report on Public Perception Towards Mental Health in India. As many as 87 percent of the respondents felt mental illness is a disorder. Illustrating the poor understanding of the broad spectrum of mental illness, respondents were unlikely to associate mental illness with symptoms of more common mental disorders such as anxiety, when describing people with mental illness. As many as 60 per cent of the respondents believe that mental illness is caused by a “lack of self-discipline and willpower”. As many as 92 per cent of the respondents believe that people with mental illness should visit a specialist doctor.

Source: Indian Express March 23, 2018 17:15 UTC