History of psychiatry in Nepal

Abstract

The history of psychiatry as a discipline in Nepal has been poorly studied. We have attempted to summarise historical landmarks to explore how it began and its evolution over time in relation to contemporary political events. Although Nepal has achieved several milestones, from establishing a psychiatric out-patient department with one psychiatrist in 1961 to having more than 500 psychiatric in-patient beds with 200 psychiatrists by 2020, the pace, commitment and dedication seem to be slower than necessary: the current national mental health policy dates back to 1996 and has not been updated since; there is no Mental Health Act; the number of psychiatric nurses and in-patient psychiatric beds has increased only slowly; and there is a dearth of professional supervision in rehabilitation centres. Thus, despite making significant progress, much more is required, at greater intensity and speed, and with wide collaboration and political commitment in order to improve the mental health of all Nepali citizens, including those living in rural areas and or in deprived conditions.

Newspaper reporting of suicide in Nepal: Quality assessment against World Health Organization media guidelines

“…Insensible media reporting may lead to misinformation among people that could lead to an increased burden of suicide or suicidal ideation/attempts. In the countries like Nepal, where the number of psychiatric professionals is very low, the rise in burden to deliver psychiatric services for increased cases attempting suicides would be more challenging 35 . Also, tracing of psychiatric services should be regularly monitored while reporting the suicides in newspapers.…”

A scoping review of community-based mental health intervention for children and adolescents in South Asia

“…In Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan, there are no child-specific mental health policies (WHO, 2018 ; Hossain et al, 2021 ). Additionally, very few psychiatrists offer specialised treatment for children or adolescents in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal or Afghanistan (Agarwal, 2021 ; Hamdani et al, 2021 ; Skuse, 2021 ; Singh et al, 2022 ; Wang et al, 2022 ). Indeed, many countries in South Asia follow the ‘medical model’ of mental health; support is predominantly provided by hospital-based psychiatrists, with very few outpatient or community-based facilities, particularly in Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.…”

Providing mental health services in poverty

“…Rakesh Singh and colleagues review the history of psychiatric services in Nepal and discuss the recent decision to develop a National Mental Health Strategy. 2 Interestingly, a plan to roll out community mental health services was inaugurated in 1983, and these have now been extended throughout the country with the support of non-government organisations (NGOs).…”