Extending mental health services to the underserved: insights from an NGO-led community-based model in rural India
1
Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, Dharwad, India
2
Psychiatry Department, Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara University, Dharwad, India
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Mental health services in rural India remain limited due to systemic barriers such as stigma, inadequate infrastructure, and shortage of trained personnel. The District Mental Health Program (DMHP) in India, although operational in select regions, has limited reach in underserved areas like Haliyal taluk in North Karnataka. To bridge this gap, the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM), an NGO, initiated monthly community-based mental health camps in collaboration with public health institutions.
OBJECTIVE:
This mixed-methods study aimed to conduct a situational analysis of SVYM’s community mental health services in Haliyal taluk to understand the service delivery model, patient profiles, common mental health conditions treated, and the facilitators and barriers in integrating such services into the public health system.
METHODS:
The study included secondary data analysis of all patients registered in SVYM’s mental health camps from 2019 to 2024. Key variables such as age, sex, diagnosis, and treatment details were analysed. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with stakeholders and focus group discussions with patients, caregivers, and ASHA workers to explore perceptions, challenges, and success stories.
RESULTS:
The among the registered patients with camp 48% of the patients falls under the category of Priority MNS (Mental, Neurological & Substance use disorders). The number of patients visiting the camp doubled and 90% of the patients were the follow up patients in each camp. Still there were barriers to access the care, lack of awareness on MI, there is need of empowerment on MI and there is a potential opportunity to integrate such camps in the existing public health care systems for sustainability.
CONCLUSIONS:
NGO-led mental health camps, when aligned with public health systems, offer a viable model for extending mental healthcare to underserved regions. Findings from this study may inform future strategies for scaling such interventions and strengthening the DMHP framework.
Mental health services in rural India remain limited due to systemic barriers such as stigma, inadequate infrastructure, and shortage of trained personnel. The District Mental Health Program (DMHP) in India, although operational in select regions, has limited reach in underserved areas like Haliyal taluk in North Karnataka. To bridge this gap, the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM), an NGO, initiated monthly community-based mental health camps in collaboration with public health institutions.
OBJECTIVE:
This mixed-methods study aimed to conduct a situational analysis of SVYM’s community mental health services in Haliyal taluk to understand the service delivery model, patient profiles, common mental health conditions treated, and the facilitators and barriers in integrating such services into the public health system.
METHODS:
The study included secondary data analysis of all patients registered in SVYM’s mental health camps from 2019 to 2024. Key variables such as age, sex, diagnosis, and treatment details were analysed. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with stakeholders and focus group discussions with patients, caregivers, and ASHA workers to explore perceptions, challenges, and success stories.
RESULTS:
The among the registered patients with camp 48% of the patients falls under the category of Priority MNS (Mental, Neurological & Substance use disorders). The number of patients visiting the camp doubled and 90% of the patients were the follow up patients in each camp. Still there were barriers to access the care, lack of awareness on MI, there is need of empowerment on MI and there is a potential opportunity to integrate such camps in the existing public health care systems for sustainability.
CONCLUSIONS:
NGO-led mental health camps, when aligned with public health systems, offer a viable model for extending mental healthcare to underserved regions. Findings from this study may inform future strategies for scaling such interventions and strengthening the DMHP framework.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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