Mental health, as a concept, is often overlooked in India, if
not outright denigrated. In todays' fast paced uber competitive
world, mental health is as important as physical health and should
not be a taboo – it deserves to be on the same pedestal as
that of physical well-being, if not higher. This is been brought to
light more than ever before since the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic.
The United Nations Convention on Rights of People with
Disabilities (hereinafter referred to as the 'United Nations
Convention') prohibited any form of discrimination in respect
of mental illnesses or any other disabilities. Since the 1800s,
there have been various statutes in India which encompass mental
health and as recently as 2016, The Mental Healthcare Bill was
promulgated in order to bring the domestic law in line with the
applicable United Nations Convention. This finally led to the
enactment of Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and the same has been in
effect since May 29, 2018.