Mental Health

Mental health remains one of Nepal's most neglected health priorities. With fewer than 0.5 psychiatrists per 100,000 population and deep-rooted stigma, the treatment gap for mental disorders exceeds 90%. Suicide is a leading cause of death among women of reproductive age, substance use disorders are rising, and post-disaster psychosocial needs remain largely unmet. The 2017 Mental Health Act provides a legal framework, but implementation has been slow. This collection examines evidence on integrating mental health into primary care, community-based psychosocial interventions, task-shifting to non-specialist providers, and scalable approaches for low-resource settings.