NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, INDIA CHAPTER 6 Right to Health and Mental Health 6.1 India has achieved significant economic growth over the past decades, but the progress in health has not been commensurate. Despite notable gains in improving life expectancy, reducing fertility, maternal and child mortality, and addressing other health priorities, the rates of improvement have been insufficient, falling short on several national and global targets. Furthermore, there are wide variations across States in their health outcomes and systems performance. The contribution of most of the major non-communicable disease groups to the total disease burden has increased all over India including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, mental health and neurological disorders, cancers, musculoskeletal disorders, and chronic kidney disease. 6.2 The mental health which forms an integral part of health, is the area where the country is facing a serious predicament. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”1 . Enumerating the burden of those suffering from mental heath problems like neurological disorders and substance abuse, the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS), 201516 points out to the huge burden of mental health problems where nearly 150 million Indians need mental health care services while less than 30 million are seeking care. 6.3 It is important to consider that promotion of mental health has both human rights and economic aspects attached to it. It has long been the case that individuals with mental health conditions are amongst the most abused and discriminated against in the country and deserve to be treated with dignity. Further, neglecting mental health could impact economic development through loss of production and consumption opportunities at both the individual and societal level. Acknowledging this, Sustainable Development Agenda, which was adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in September, 2015 within the health goal, has included two targets directly related to mental health and substance abuse as it requests the countries: “By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being” and “Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol “ respectively. Therefore, it has been a globally recognized fact that health is a crucial prerequisite for sustainable human development, but there can be no health without mental health. 6.4 Since the time the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) came into existence in October 1993, the Commission has consistently taken the view that the right to 1 WHO definition of mental health. Available at https://www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/en/ ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19 87