Human Resources The incidence of mental illness is on the increase and 450 million people are estimated to be suffering from neuro-psychiatric conditions worldwide. According to projections made by WHO, anxiety and depression will emerge as the world’s single largest killer by 2020. The human, material and financial resources are grossly inadequate to effectively deal with this huge burden of psychotic and neurotic disorders. This leaves a treatment gap of more than 75% in many countries with low and lower middle incomes. In India the absolute number of persons suffering from mental illness comes somewhere in the vicinity of 70 million. The treatment gap in India has been attributed to low levels of awareness about symptoms of mental illness, lack of rational and scientific temper resulting in myths and stigma, lack of access to information on the facilities for treatment available in State managed hospitals/private hospitals/clinics and lack of knowledge of the tangible benefits arising out of timely treatment. The norms laid down by ICMR and as quoted by Dr. S.P. Agarwal, former DGHS, Government of India in his compilation captioned the ‘Mental Health Resource Map of India ‘Mental Health – an Indian perspective 1946 – 2003’ of 2004 for sanction of Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists and Psychiatric Social Workers are: Psychiatrists 1.0 per 1,00,000 population; Clinical Psychologists 1.5 per 1,00,000 population; Psychiatric Social Workers 2.0 per 1,00,000 population; Psychiatric nurses 1.0 per 10 Psychiatric beds. The minimum staff requirement for every psychiatric hospital or psychiatric nursing home with 100 beds had been laid down in Rule 22 of the State Mental Health Rules 1990 which had been framed in pursuance of the requirement u/ s 14 of the Mental Health Act, 1987 are Medical Officer having recognized degree of MBBS 1:50, GDMO 1:25; Psychiatrist – 1:100, Assistant Clinical Psychologists – 1:100 and Psychiatric Social Worker- 1:100; Occupational Therapist; Staff Nurses - 1:10; Sweepers – 1:10 and attendants 1:5. In view of the prescribed norms of ICMR and Mental Health Act 1987, there is acute shortage of skilled mental health professionals in India. As against an estimated requirement of 11,500 Psychiatrists, 17,250 Clinical Psychologists, 23,000 Psychiatric Social Workers, we have 3000 Psychiatrists, 500 Clinical Psychologists, 400 PSWs and 9000 Psychiatric Nurses. The existing training infrastructure in the country produces approximately 320 Psychiatrists, 50 Clinical Psychologists, 25 PSWs and 185 Psychiatric nurses per annum. Care and Treatment in Mental Health Institutions– Some Glimpses in the Recent Period 109