NIMHANS-Led National Mental Health Survey 2 Of India: Mapping Mental Wellbeing

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has mandated the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, to conduct the National Mental Health Survey 2025-2026. NIMHANS  is a world-renowned institute in the realm of mental health and neuroscience. The aim is to examine Mental wellness as a model rather than Mental illness. Dr Girish, Prof of Epidemiology, Centre for Public Health, NIMHANS, stated that the survey will involve questions about mental health and wellness. It will seek to examine how people take care of themselves. The government has also mandated that AIIMS-like institutions and government medical colleges support the implementation process in each state. This will be the second National Mental Health. The first Mental Health Survey was conducted in 2015-16.

Read More: NIMHANS 2.0 Gets a Slot in The 2026 Budget 

Key Highlights

• The survey aims to estimate the burden of mental health problems, understand healthcare-seeking patterns and the status of human resources and services. It includes adolescents, adults and on a pilot basis, children also.
• Dr Girish, NIMHANS, stated that it is a challenge to find out the mental well-being, but finding out how people report their wellness will create a well-being index for the country. 
• The method for data collection will be a multistage, stratified, random cluster sampling with a size proportionate to size to ensure state-level participation. It will include all 36 states/UTs. 5 districts per state will be selected using stratified sampling.
• The recent progress in the National Mental Health Survey includes a two-day conclave held in Bengaluru at NIMHANS to review the progress of the survey.
• Till now, more than 2.5 lakh interviews have been conducted using structured tools adopted in 20 Indian languages. 
• The National  Mental Health Survey-2 is expected to be released on October 10, World Mental Health Day. 

Key objects of the National Mental Health Survey 2, as proposed

• Generate estimates of priority mental health problems in a representative population 
• Identifying the disability and pathways to caregivers is the service utilisation pattern.
• Characterised mental disorders/illness with respect to vulnerable and special populations like tribal and sexual minorities. 
• Conducted Health System Assessment and Resource mapping for mental health care.
• Empower centres of excellence and educational institutions with health sciences educational Instutitions to contribute to the survey.

The first National Mental Health Survey (NMHS 2015–16)

The NMHS 1 was conducted by NIMHANS  in alliance with 15 institutions across the country, commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It covered 12 states, aimed to be a nationally representative report on mental health issues. 52.3 per cent of respondents were females. According to the report, nearly 15% of adults in India required treatment for one or more mental health disorders, yet state governments allocated less than 1 per cent of their budget to mental health. It stated that 1 in 20 people were depressed and 1 in 40 had experienced depression in the past.

Mental health problems were more common in males, but some specific disorders were more common in females, like depression, anxiety disorders, agoraphobia,  obsessive compulsive disorders and d phobic anxiety. Also, the disorders were prevalent twice in urban areas as in rural ones. The report recommended that the government implement policies for mental health literacy, early recognition of mental health disorders and the de-stigmatisation of mental illness.