New Delhi: Delhi govt has begun the recruitment process for 11 key positions in State Mental Health Authority (SMHA), following a Delhi High Court directive to expedite the appointment of non-official members.
The advertised roles include one psychiatrist, one clinical psychologist, one psychiatric social worker, one mental health professional and one mental health nurse-positions deemed crucial to making the authority functional under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017.
The authority is tasked with regulating mental health services in the capital, monitoring treatment centres, registering establishments, and protecting the rights of persons with mental illness.
Yet, despite the 2017 act mandating every state to constitute such an authority, Delhi’s SMHA remained largely non-functional for years due to delays in appointments, drawing repeated judicial attention.
In a Dec 2024 hearing, the high court directed AAP govt to fast-track these long-pending appointments, citing the urgent need for a regulatory framework as demand for mental health services continues to rise. The urgency is underscored by rising mental health challenges among Delhi’s youth.
A recent AIIMS study, published in Indian Journal of Psychiatry (2024), found that nearly one in three adolescents (aged 15-19) in urban Delhi experienced an episode of depression or anxiety disorder in their lifetime. TNN
