India on the cusp of redefining mental healthcare: experts

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Experts at a webinar on ‘The Future of Integrative Mental Health’ on Friday said the development of evidence-based pluralistic healthcare in India was not far away, and it was a work in progress.

India was on the cusp of redefining mental healthcare, with the Centre pushing for a convergence of strengths of modern medicine, traditional knowledge and alternative therapies, they said at the webinar organised by Buddhi Clinic in association with The Hindu under the Wellness Series.

One of the key speakers, B.N. Gangadhar, scientist with the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, and former Director-VC of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, said that over time, research had demonstrated that lifestyle practices, especially yoga, help in maintaining mental fitness. “The objective is not to thrust integrated therapies, but to provide people with integrated care in their healing journey,” he said.

Over the decades, several committees had recommended a multi-faceted healthcare system through a single window, he said. “The National Health Policy 2017, the Medical Education Commissions and the National Education Policy 2020 are now recognising that modern science has to be understood in the backdrop of the traditional Indian knowledge system. People are increasingly seeking something beyond what modern medicine provides them,” he added.

The speakers reiterated that integration was not about replacing or choosing one system over another, but converging the advances in neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology, and digital technology with yoga, ayurveda, and other traditional therapies.

“There is a need for convergence of mainstream medical practice and evidence-based traditional approaches because recovery from an illness is not just reduction of symptoms,” said Ennapadam S. Krishnamoorthy, Behavioural Neurologist and Neuropsychiatrist, and founder of Buddhi Clinic.

“Combined treatment helps in enhancing the quality of life, behaviour, sleep and digestion. Technology helps with assessment with a logical end point, whereas therapeutic techniques such as yoga and tai chi, build relationships and continue to motivate people to maintain wellness,” he said, making a case for integrated healthcare.

“The brain does not recognise boundaries or specialities. Integrated healthcare builds autonomy; the synergy of innovation with scientific integrity offers multiple options. Combining modalities amplifies the outcome of well-being by placing the person — not merely the illness — at the centre of care,” Dr. Krishnamoorthy added.

The Central government was promoting integrative medical care by co-locating AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) facilities within public health centres and establishing collaborating departments in major hospitals such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and NIMHANS, Mr.