Back Background ground In Nepal, caste-based disparities have been identified in mental health. The lowest caste, the Dalits, face the greatest discrimination and have a greater prevalence of depression and anxiety when compared with high castes. Therefore, it is important to understand the Dalit communities' perceptions of mental health, the barriers faced when accessing support and to identify the causes of stigma. Investigating this should provide insight to help inform anti-stigma policies and develop interventions to better support mental health within the community. Methods Methods Ethical approval was granted by the University of Leeds to conduct this study. Participants were recruited through a Dalit community leader gatekeeper identified by the project host. Purposive and snowballing sampling methods were used. 12 participants gave informed consent and took part in semi-structured interviews. Data was transcribed and thematically analysed by the researcher.