Mental health queries grow from small-town India; Chandigarh tops the list: Report

New Delhi, October 10

There has been a whopping 88 per cent growth in mental health queries in India this year and more people from smaller cities and towns are now coming forward for online consultation, a report said on Thursday.

According to the Practo Health Insights, mental health has also been one of the topmost concerns for online consultation for people from non-metro cities.

Mental health-related queries grew a massive 367 per cent from non-metro cities.

Nearly 40 per cent of all mental health-related consults come from women while 60 per cent are from men.

Chandigarh is the fastest growing city with 353 per cent growth from 2018, followed by Ahmedabad and Lucknow which grew at 342 per cent and 233 per cent, respectively.

People have increasingly preferred online consultation as it helps in understanding the symptoms via virtual assistance at the initial stage and removes all apprehensions of visiting a doctor for further treatment, according to Practo’s Online Consult.

“Digital healthcare and technology have transformed mental healthcare in a way that makes it easy for patients to consult a psychiatrist or psychologist online and book an instant appointment if required,” said Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Healthcare Strategy Officer, Practo that helps consumers locate doctors and healthcare information.

Practo said its Online Consult platform is not only helping people from metro cities, but also patients from tier 2+ cities and rural areas where the availability of mental health professionals is very limited.—IANS