Abstract
Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia and is known for its cultural heritage. Compared to the neighbouring nations, there has been a late start of mental health care and services in Bhutan. However, the principle of mental health care in Bhutan is guided by the policy of gross happiness index which includes psychological well-being. Though very little reliable data is available on the prevalence of mental illness in the country the full range of major mental illnesses exists in Bhutan. There has been a slow and steady improvement in mental health services, however, with the establishment of the Pema Centre, which will be a dedicated centre to address mental health problems in the country, the care for people with mental health problems is expected to improve in the coming years. There are many challenges in mental health care in Bhutan like stigma, lack of awareness, less manpower, centralized services, dearth of research and information management etc. In this chapter, we discuss the historical aspects of the mental health care system, and the current scenario in regard to the burden and services and challenges regarding the mental health care system of Bhutan. We also discuss country-specific ways forward.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Addressing mental health in Bhutan. WHO. (2022). Retrieved August 28, 2023, from https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9789290210153
Annual Reports | Ministry of Health. (2022). Retrieved August 31, 2023, from https://www.moh.gov.bt/about/program-profiles/national-suicide-prevention-program/plans-orders-activities/reports__trashed/annual-reports/
Arafat, S. M. Y., Ali, S. a. Z., Saleem, T., Banerjee, D., Singh, R., Baminiwatta, A., & Shoib, S. (2022). Academic psychiatry journals in South Asian countries: Most from India, none from Afghanistan, Bhutan and the Maldives. Global Psychiatry Archives, 5(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.52095/gp.2021.4395.1036.
Betts, L. (2020, December 1). Suicide Prevention in Bhutan. IASP. Retrieved from https://www.iasp.info/2020/12/01/suicide-prevention-in-bhutan/
Bhutan Case Study | UNICEF South Asia. (2021). Retrieved August 27, 2023, from https://www.unicef.org/rosa/documents/bhutan-case-study
Calabrese, J. D., & Dorji, C. (2013). Traditional and modern understandings of mental illness in Bhutan: Preserving the benefits of each to support Gross National Happiness.
Dema, T., Tripathy, J. P., Thinley, S., Rani, M., Dhendup, T., Laxmeshwar, C., Tenzin, K., Gurung, M. S., Tshering, T., Subba, D. K., Penjore, T., & Lhazeen, K. (2019). Suicidal ideation and attempt among school going adolescents in Bhutan—A secondary analysis of a global school-based student health survey in Bhutan 2016. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1605. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7791-0
Dendup, T., Zhao, Y., Dorji, T., & Phuntsho, S. (2020). Risk factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in Bhutan: An analysis of the 2014 Bhutan STEPS survey data. Plos One, 15(1), e0225888. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225888
Doma D., & Dolkar T. (2019). Overview of Counseling in Bhutan. , 26, 149–160.
Dorji, C. (2004). Achieving gross national happiness through community-based mental health services in Bhutan. Centre for Bhutan Studies.
Dorji, G., Choki, S., Jamphel, K., Wangdi, Y., Chogyel, T., Dorji, C., & Nirola, D. K. (2017). Policy and governance to address depression and suicide in Bhutan: The national suicide-prevention strategy. WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health, 6(1), 39–44. https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.206163
Dorji, L., & Bkod, B. R. R. (2012). Alcohol use and abuse in Bhutan. (No Title).
Dorji, T., Yangchen, Wangmo, S., Tenzin, K., Jamtsho, S., Pema, D., Chhetri, B., Nirola, D. K., & Dhakal, G. P. (2023). Challenges in epilepsy diagnosis and management in a low-resource setting: An experience from Bhutan. Epilepsy Research, 192, 107126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2023.107126
Lhadon, K. (2014). Suicide trends in Bhutan from 2009 to 2013. Journal of Bhutan Studies, 30, 30–56.
Masaki, K., & Tshering, J. (2021). Exploring the origins of Bhutan’s gross national happiness. Journal of South Asian Devevelopment, 16(2), 273–292. https://doi.org/10.1177/09731741211039049
Naveed, A., & Nirola, D. K. (2012). Mental health in Bhutan. International Psychiatry, 9(1), 11–12.
Nirola, D. K. (2010). Where psychiatrists are scarce: Bhutan. Asia-Pacific Psychiatry, 2(3), 126–126. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-5872.2010.00073.x
Pelzang, R. (2012). Mental health care in Bhutan: Policy and issues. WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health, 1(3), 339–346. https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.207030
Pradhan, S., & Lhamo, U. S. (2023). Global crisis, national commitment: Overcoming challenges to inclusive mental health in Bhutan. The Druk Journal, 9(1), 71–76.
Sithey, G., Li, M., Wen, L. M., Kelly, P. J., & Clarke, K. (2018). Socioeconomic, religious, spiritual and health factors associated with symptoms of common mental disorders: A cross-sectional secondary analysis of data from Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Study, 2015. BMJ Open, 8(2), e018202. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018202
Suicide prevention in Bhutan: Scaling-up during the pandemic WHO. (2022). Retrieved August 27, 2023, from https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/suicide-prevention-in-bhutan-scaling-up-during-the-pandemic
Tsheten, T., Chateau, D., Dorji, N., Pokhrel, H. P., Clements, A. C. A., Gray, D. J., & Wangdi, K. (2023). Impact of COVID-19 on mental health in Bhutan: A way forward for action. The Lancet Regional Health—Southeast Asia, 11, 100179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2023.100179
WHO, WHO-AIMS report on Mental Health System in Bhutan. (2006). Retrieved August 29, 2023, from https://extranet.who.int/mindbank/item/534
World Health Organization, W. H. (2006). Country Office for Bhutan. WHO-AIMS Report on Mental Health System in Bhutan. Thimphu: WHO and Ministry of Health.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Dr. Bikram Chhetri, Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, Bhutan for helping us to corroborate the information about mental health care in Bhutan.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sharma, P., Joshi, D. (2024). Access to Mental Health Care in Bhutan: Current Status, Potential Challenges, and Ways Out. In: Arafat, S.M.Y., Kar, S.K. (eds) Access to Mental Health Care in South Asia. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-9153-2_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-9153-2_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-99-9152-5
Online ISBN: 978-981-99-9153-2
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)