How decentralising therapy can help bridge India’s treatment gap
The Indian Psychiatric Society recommends a stepped-care model, where people with milder issues are first managed with psychosocial interventions before initiating pharmacotherapy.
| Photo Credit: Mika Baumeister/Unsplash
India continues to face a large mental health treatment gap, with nearly 85% of individuals with common mental disorders receiving no formal care. However, over the past decade, access to antidepressant medication, especially drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), has improved, marking an important shift toward making treatment more available.
This expansion is important because, for moderate to severe depression, antidepressants are not optional but often essential. For many patients, they remain one of the most effective and life-changing interventions we have.
Published – April 30, 2026 07:30 am IST
