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The hidden cost of development—a review of mental health issues of displaced tribal populations in India

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Abstract

Aim

The main aim of this study was to assess the psychological consequences that displacement brings into the lives of India’s tribal populations, specifically, in the form of mental illness.

Subject and methods

Literature review.

Results

The impact of forced displacement on the mental state of tribal populations is significant and multi-faceted. In spite of sufficient evidence indicating the extent of mental health challenges, the Governmental response in India has been completely missing. Some of the challenges in the path of Indian health providers are poor diagnostic facilities, lack of psychiatric epidemiological data for tribal populations, and culturally inappropriate instruments. Scientists and practitioners can play an important role in bridging the knowledge gap in the field.

Conclusion

It is necessary to perceive the mental health status of displaced tribal populations within the larger framework of social justice. A strictly biomedical approach is insufficient when the individuals seeking help are under constant stress. Thus, a mental health program is needed for tribal people that offers a perspective broad enough to address the needs of individuals and the local worlds in which they live.

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Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Policy Studies, TERI School of Advanced Studies, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, 110002, India

    Devika Gupta & Prashant Kumar Singh

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  1. Devika Gupta
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  2. Prashant Kumar Singh
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Correspondence to Prashant Kumar Singh.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors. Thus, no ethical approval is required for this work.

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Gupta, D., Singh, P.K. The hidden cost of development—a review of mental health issues of displaced tribal populations in India. J Public Health (Berl.) 26, 717–723 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-018-0913-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-018-0913-9

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