Background: In India, an estimated 3.5 million are affected with schizophrenia, of which more than two-thirds belong to the rural demography. Schizophrenia is one of the most disabling illnesses, causing 10% of the disability adjusted life years, making it a public health concern. We aimed to estimate the treatment gap for schizophrenia in a rural South Indian setting following a community intervention program implemented in two administrative blocks (Thirthahalli and Turuvekere) in the state of Karnataka, India. Methods: Population-based screening was conducted by trained Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) to identify persons with symptoms of schizophrenia. Research social workers and psychiatrists interviewed screen-positives to confirm the diagnosis. Prevalent cases were enumerated by adding those already registered under the program to those newly identified through house-to-house screening. The treatment gap was calculated by subtracting the “target population” from those who had received psychiatric treatment at least once. Results: In Thirthahalli, of 364 patients, 14 had not received any treatment, indicating a treatment gap of 3.84%. In Turuvekere, out of 236 cases, 29 had not received treatment, indicating a treatment gap of 12.28%. Overall, the treatment gap in both administrative blocks was 7.16%. Conclusion: Meaningful reduction of treatment gap for schizophrenia is a feasible target at sub-district levels. Policies commensurate with this aim should be considered
Kumar et al. (Fri,) studied this question.