The secondary data analysis conducted by IIT Jodhpur based on the mental health parameters extracted from the NSS data has the following main findings:

Self-reporting of mental disorders is 1.73 times higher among the richest as compared to the poorest in India

Only 23 % of the patients hospitalized for mental disorders had health insurance coverage at the national level.

The private sector is the major mental health provider, accounting for 66.1 % of outpatient care and 59.2 % of inpatient care.

The average out-of-pocket expenditure for hospitalization and outpatient care was significantly higher in the private sector than in the public sector.

The findings emphasize the importance of understanding the local sociodemographic context while designing strategies to reduce the disease burden of mental disorders.

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