The Government of India (GoI), through the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, is undertaking the National Mental Health Survey -2 – Megacity Survey. The nodal coordinating organisation is NIMHANS, Bengaluru.  The denizens of mega cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru will be surveyed as part of this.

The School of Medical Sciences at the University of Hyderabad (UoH), represented by Prof. B.R. Shamanna and Dr. M. Surya Durga Prasad, will work with the Institute of Mental Health, Osmania Medical College, as partners for the Hyderabad arm of the Megacity Survey.

     

Prof. B R Shamanna                                          Dr. M. Surya Durga Prasad

While providing the approval for the Memorandum of Agreement for UoH to be part of this far-reaching policy-making initiative, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. B J Rao commended the School. He opined, “The University’s role in social responsibility is evident when we involve ourselves in these landmark initiatives. This also augurs well for our outreach in the community and is integral to furthering the Institution of Eminence status of the University.”

The need for a mental health survey in a nationwide urban sample has been necessitated as the countrywide National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) – 1 in 2016 reported a higher prevalence of mental health morbidity among the urban population. The population examined by the NMHS-1 did not include the mega cities where a considerable proportion of the urban population lives. The need to examine this population that has significant diversity in lifestyle, needs, and challenges, especially in the face of rapid urbanisation and migration was proposed in NMHS -1. The NMHS -2 will focus on the complex lifestyle of mega cities, its impact on wellness and the mental health services available for the inhabitants.