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Bridging the Mental Health Divide: A Wake-Up Call for India’s Tech Industry
Bridging the Mental Health Divide: A Wake-Up Call for India’s Tech Industry

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Mental health in India is reaching a critical moment. Even though awareness is slowly improving, the support systems we need still haven’t caught up. Public healthcare is overstretched, private options are expensive, and insurance coverage is often confusing or limited. These gaps don’t just affect individuals, they’re already starting to affect businesses, especially in fast-paced industries like tech.
 

The Cost of Care: What the Numbers Don’t Always Say

For a lot of families in India, dealing with mental illness comes with a heavy financial burden. According to the National Sample Survey, outpatient mental healthcare can cost around ₹2,000 each month. That’s nearly 20% of what the average Indian earns. If someone needs hospitalization in a private setup, the bills can easily go over ₹40,000.

Moreover, that’s just the visible cost. There’s another layer to this. Often, someone in the family usually a woman,  has to quit her job or take a step back from work to care for the person who’s unwell. That means lost income, fewer opportunities, and long-term financial strain. In some cases, families end up slipping below the poverty line simply because they made the difficult but compassionate choice to support a loved one.
 

Insurance Gaps Still Hurt the Most

The Mental Healthcare Act, passed in 2017, was a big step. It promised that mental health would be treated the same as physical health when it comes to insurance. But that hasn’t really played out on the ground. A study from 2024 showed that fewer than 40% of insurance policies offered meaningful mental health coverage. And even when they do, things like therapy or regular check-ins with a psychologist are often not included.

That’s a real concern, especially in sectors like tech, where stress and burnout are common. If employees can’t afford or access basic support, we’re all paying the price — whether it’s through absenteeism, lost creativity, or quiet quitting.
 

What Happened to the District Mental Health Programme?

The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) was launched with the right intention — to bring mental health services closer to communities. But it hasn’t worked out the way it should have.
Here’s what’s been happening:

  • India still has fewer than one psychiatrist per 100,000 people. The World Health Organization recommends at least three.
  • Only about 38% of the mental health budget from 2015 to 2021 was actually used.
  • A lack of coordination between different departments has delayed even the most basic services.

As a result, the pressure falls on large hospitals and cities, while rural and small-town India continues to struggle without proper support.
 

The Power of Community-Based Care

Not everything is broken. In fact, community-based mental healthcare has shown promising results. In one rural program in South India, families working with local caregivers brought their annual mental health spending down from ₹15,074 to just ₹492. That’s a huge difference.

These programs work because they are simple and practical. They bring care into local areas, reduce the cost and time spent on travel, and treat people with empathy and respect. We don’t always need a high-tech solution, we need systems that work for people in real life.
 

Where Does the Tech Industry Fit In?

The tech industry has a unique opportunity to lead the way. Here’s how we can start:

  • Speak up for fair insurance policies that include mental health coverage.
  • Create psychologically safe workplaces where people feel okay asking for help.
  • Use technology to make mental health services more accessible, especially in remote areas.
  • Collaborate with non-profits and community programs that already know what works.

We don’t have to solve everything overnight. But we can’t afford to sit on the sidelines anymore either.
 

In Closing

India’s mental health crisis isn’t just about hospitals or budgets. It’s about real people — friends, colleagues, families who are struggling in silence. It’s about systems that look good on paper but fail in reality. And it’s about the chance we have, especially in tech, to shift the narrative actually.

The time to act isn’t “someday.” It’s now.


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