Certification of Disability Due to Mental Illness: India and Other Countries

Abstract

Mental illnesses (MI) are very common and cause significant disability. Persons with disability (PWD) should be treated equally and their rights should be respected. Various governments have formulated specific social welfare measures (SWM) for PWD for this cause. The SWMs and the eligibility criteria for availing them are different in different countries depending on the socio-economic condition of the country. We wanted to look at the process of certification of disability due to MI followed in different countries. The process in India, Australia, Canada, Nepal, South Africa, Taiwan, United Kingdom and United States of America was reviewed. The process of certification is discussed in this article. In many countries, the scales are generic, not specific to MI; Psychiatrists’ role is to assess the impairment and disability assessment is done by other professionals. A scientific appraisal of the processes in different countries helps in learning from the best practices.