India’s current ratio of mental health professionals is concerningly low when compared to global benchmarks. There are only about 7 mental health professionals for every 10 lakh individuals, when the global average is 30 per 10 lakh individuals. What this means is that if we need 4000 mental health professionals, we have only 1000. 

While we already have a huge deficit when it comes to the availability of mental health professionals, we are facing a “mental health crisis” of sorts. A National Mental health survey done by NIMHANS in 2015-16 indicated that 15% of India’s adult population faces mental health challenges that need intervention, with a higher incidence in urban areas (13.5%) compared to rural areas (6.9%). 

35% of India’s population comprises children and adolescents – 1 in every 3 persons in India is below the age of 18 years old.  Studies since 2000 indicate a significant prevalence of mental health issues among children and adolescents, with school-based studies showing a higher prevalence (around 23.33%) than community-based studies (around 6.46%). This means that 1 in 4 school going children in India could use these services of a mental health professional.

Anxiety and depression are common concerns, and suicide is a leading cause of death in older adolescents. However, the availability of mental health professionals working with children and adolescents is even lower than that for adults.

It takes a long time to become a mental health professional – typically about 10 years! And it requires not just academic learning, but a lot of work with one’s own psyche and a lot of support from supervisors and trainers who can continue to help young professionals feel held and supported in their work while they “hold” their clients. Additionally, unlike some other fields like IT and business, the field of mental health is not financially lucrative. People who want to dedicate their careers and lives to the emotional well being of others often don’t have the financial resources to invest in expensive training knowing that the returns on this investment will not come easily or quickly. 

Understanding these issues, Aagahi aims to provide high quality training and support to young people who want to become competent and skilled mental health professionals, specifically, counseling psychologists in India. 

The intent behind this initiative at Aagahi is to help add more well-trained mental health professionals in India, to be able to help meet some of the growing needs of our society.