At least 60 million Indians -- a number more than the population of South Africa -- suffer from mental disorders, even as the country lags the world in medical professionals and spending on mental-health issues.

Nearly 10-20 million Indians (1-2 per cent of the population) suffered from severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and nearly 50 million (5 per cent of population) suffered from common mental disorders like depression and anxiety at the end of 2005, Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda informed the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) in May 2016, quoting data from the National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, 2005, the last report available.