Year: 2026 | Month: September | Volume: 13 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 287-304
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20260929
Epidemiological Trend and Social Determinants of Mental Disorders in Gujarat: An Evidence Synthesis
Apurvakumar Pandya1, Medha Wadhwa1, Shivangi Shukla2, Ananya Chakraborty2
1Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
2MPH Student, Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
Corresponding Author: Dr. Apurvakumar Pandya
ABSTRACT
Background: Mental disorders contribute substantially to disability, social exclusion, productivity loss, and suicide. Despite Gujarat’s long history of mental health service development, rights-based reform and community mental health initiatives; state-specific evidence on epidemiological, social and system-level determinants remains fragmented. This review synthesizes evidence on the prevalence of mental disorders in Gujarat; identifies determinants of mental health; describes emerging mental health trends; and summarizes public health gaps relevant to strategic planning and primary-care integration.
Materials and Methods: A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Epistemonikos, BASE, and Google Scholar for literature published January 2006–December 2025, supplemented by government and grey-literature sources. Eligible records included Gujarat-specific data on mental disorders, distress, suicide, substance use, maternal/postpartum depression, treatment gaps, services, workforce, stigma, literacy, and digital mental health. Evidence was grouped into epidemiological findings, social determinants, and public health gaps, with quantitative synthesis limited to comparable studies.
Results: Total 34 records were included in the review. Common mental disorders in general population ranged from 5.7% to 7.8%, while higher symptom burdens were reported among adolescents (14%–15%), rural women (22.8%) and older adults living in urban slums (36%). Among higher-secondary and college students, depression ranged from 18.5% to 59.5%, anxiety from 9.9% to 66.8%, and stress was 41.1%. Postpartum depression ranged from 6.8% to 50.1%. Among patients with tuberculosis, depression ranged from 5% to 36% and anxiety from 10.5% to 31.3%, with a greater burden among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Suicide rate in Gujarat was reported to be 12.4 per lakh. Determinants included gender, rural setting, socioeconomic disadvantage, low mental health literacy, academic stress, bullying, digital exposure, substance use, chronic illness, stigma and low social support. Key health-system challenges identified were lack of surveillance, shortages of mental health specialists, weak integration of mental health into primary healthcare, incomplete referral continuity, and limited evidence on mental health outcomes in Gujarat.
Conclusion: Mental disorders in Gujarat represent an important public health priority. Integrated mental healthcare across primary care, educational institutions, maternal health, TB, NCD, geriatric and suicide-prevention services—supported by surveillance, trained health professionals, availability of psychiatric medicines, active referral and programme evaluation—is essential to reduce the treatment gap.
Keywords: mental disorders; adolescents; public mental health; treatment gap; mental health workforce
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