‘WHO says India a depressed nation?’

A World Health Organisation study may claim that India has the highest number of depressed people but the country’s leading mental health institution – the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) – has debunked the theory.

WHO’s figures could be ‘highly inflated’ and they see very few severe depression patients. “Most people who come to the tertiary mental health care centre have moderate to mild forms of depression” is their argument. The WHO-sponsored study concluded that while around 9% of people in India reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime, nearly 36% suffered from what is called Major Depressive Episode (MDE).