Title

Barriers to mental health care among severe mental illness in rural India: A qualitative study

Authors

Thakur Shakti Singh¹, Rajkiran Salunkhe², M.R. Murali³, Heena Dixit⁴, Rahul Tiwari⁵*, Nirvi Sharma⁶ & Akriti Mahajan⁷

Affiliation

¹Department of Psychiatry, SVS Medical College, Mahabubnagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, India; ²Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Miraj, Maharashtra, India; ³Department of Psychiatry, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysuru, Karnataka, India; ⁴Department of Medical Health Administration, Index Institute, Malwanchal University, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India; ⁵Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, RKDF Dental College and Research Centre, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India; ⁶Department of Pediatric Occupational Therapy, Jaipur Occupational Therapy College, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India; ⁷Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Private Consultant, Jammu and Kashmir, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Thakur Shakti Singh - E-mail: dr.thakurshaktisingh@gmail.com
Rajkiran Salunkhe - E-mail: rajkiran.salunkhe@gmail.com
M.R. Murali - E-mail: dr.murali09@gmail.com
Heena Dixit - E-mail: drheenatiwari@gmail.com
Rahul Tiwari - E-mail: drrahulvctiwari@gmail.com
Nirvi Sharma - E-mail: drnirviot@gmail.com
Akriti Mahajan - E-mail: evergreenclinic27@gmail.com

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received September 1, 2025; Revised September 30, 2025; Accepted September 30, 2025, Published September 30, 2025

Abstract

Individuals with severe mental illness and their caregivers face multifaceted barriers to accessing mental health care in rural India. Semi-structured interviews with 20 participants revealed key impediments including travel distance, financial burden, limited service availability, stigma, reliance on traditional healers and poor illness insight. Thus, we show the need for culturally tailored, community-based and telepsychiatry solutions. Strengthening primary care through integration and caregiver support may enhance access and engagement.

Keywords

Rural health, mental health services accessibility, severe mental illness, qualitative research, India

Citation

Singh et al. Bioinformation 21(9): 3260-3263 (2025)

Edited by

Akshaya Ojha

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.