Mumbai: People with mental health concerns often hesitate to seek care, a survey has shown, with more than half the respondents stating that they waited for more than a year before looking for professional help. About 56 per cent of respondents reported experiencing thoughts of self-harm before seeking treatment, according to ‘Mental Health Report 2026: Understanding the Journey to Care in India’ released by mental healthcare organisation Amaha on Wednesday.
Even as awareness of psychological well-being is growing, over 53 per cent of respondents seeking professional help waited for more than a year. Only 11.3 per cent reached care within a month, while 54.5 per cent first talked to friends or family and 44.6 per cent tried self-help.
The findings are based on responses from 13,825 people suffering from psychological issues, who were under treatment with Amaha during October 2025 and September 2026 at its centres in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi.
As many as 94.9 per cent of respondents reported two or more concerns at once, including anxiety, stress and low mood, while 56.2 per cent experienced thoughts of self-harm before seeking care.
Further, among those who experienced thoughts of self-harm, 71.7 per cent were students.
“India’s progress in mental health must be judged by whether people can get timely, effective care, not simply by how openly we talk about it. These are the accounts of people who reached us, they should make us ask who is still unable to access care. Friends, families, and communities are a vital part of the care ecosystem. They help people make sense of what they are experiencing, recognise the support they need, and help them find their way to care,” Dr Amit Malik, psychiatrist, founder and CEO of Amaha, said.
Seeking treatment should not test a person’s resilience, he said, and stressed the need for clinicians, families and communities to work together to make access to care easier.
The report found that 15.4 per cent of respondents used alcohol or other harmful substances before seeking professional help, with men more likely than women to do so.
While 82.7 per cent reported avoidance coping strategies such as excessive screen time and overworking, 43.1 per cent adopted healthier methods such as exercise and journaling.
On average, the top five concerns among the respondents were anxiety (72.1 per cent) followed by stress (67.5 per cent), low mood (58.3 per cent), relationship or interpersonal difficulties (55.6 per cent) and frequent mood swings (54.1 per cent).
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