Practo’s mental health insights reveal a significant growth in consultations across Tier 1 cities

New Delhi: On World Mental Health Day, Practo, India’s leading digital healthcare company has unveiled the insights into the nation’s mental health landscape.

Insights from last year (FY23 vs FY 22) reveal an overall 29% increase in in-person consultations, of which 67% consultations were done by men and 33% by women.

Digging deeper into the city wise mental health landscape revealed that Delhi contributed to the largest share of consultations in FY 23 at 35% followed by Bangalore at 19%, Mumbai at 11%, Hyderabad at 10%, Chennai and Pune at 8% respectively, and the rest of India stood at 9%.

Overall consultations have increased across cities YoY**, led by Hyderabad at 51% followed by Mumbai at 45%, Pune at 35%. Delhi at 34%, Chennai at 30%, Bangalore at 23%. The rest of India saw a dip of 2%.

From a demographic standpoint, young adults have emerged as the flag bearers of mental health awareness in the last one year.** Their dedication to mental well-being is evident with the age group of 25 – 34 contributing 55% to total consultations followed by 35 to 44 contributing 26%, 18 to 24 contributing 9%, 45 to 54 contributing 6%, and 55 to 64 and below 18 contributed 2% each.

While Indians became more aware of mental well-being and took proactive measures towards it, some of the growing searches included antisocial behavior, suicidal behavior, drug abuse, schizophrenia, panic, de-addiction. Notably, 60% of de-addiction queries hail from Tier 2 cities, while 35% of drug abuse queries also find their origins in these regions.

Commenting on the insights, Dr. Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Health Strategy Officer, Practo, said, “According to the  National Mental Health Programme, it is estimated that 6-7 % of the population suffers from mental health disorders. This further results in families shouldering the responsibility of providing both emotional and physical support to their affected loved ones. That said, it is heartening to see patients actively seeking help to address these concerns. With growing information and exposure among the population, mental health which was once considered a taboo is gradually gaining widespread acceptance. Easy accessibility to healthcare professionals and availability of resources that promote mental well-being through various digital solutions is further encouraging patients to take a proactive approach to their mental health. “

Dr. Venkatesh Babu, MD (Psychiatry), consults on Practo said, “Digitisation has resulted in an unprecedented access to a wealth of information on mental health. However, it has also impacted individuals, especially the young minds who get influenced by the internet influencers. So much so, that we now witness that mental health issues start stemming from the young age of 14. This shift, however, comes with a silver lining. The increased availability of information has also contributed to heightened awareness among individuals and their families regarding the prevalence of mental health issues. As a result, there is a noticeable uptick in the number of individuals who actively seek help and support for their mental health concerns.”