Inmates serving jail terms will undergo screening for mental health conditions soon, as the Ministry of Health and Population is preparing to carry out its plans.

The move comes amid reports that mental health problems in people doing time in jails across the country are alarmingly high.

Dr Pomawati Thapa, chief of the Mental Health Section at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, said the screening will begin from a prison in Bagmati Province.

An estimated 35 percent of around 27,000 inmates in the country have various types of mental health problems. A team of psychiatric doctors would be deployed in the prison with a large number of prisoners. Dr Thapa said that diagnosed patients will also receive treatment.

Asked why the ministry was addressing the problem in only one prison while it is equally serious in other prisons, Thapa blamed budget constraints. She said the programme would be taken to other prisons in the coming years.

There are over 29,600 inmates in 75 prisons in 72 districts. Health ministry officials claim that only 15 percent of the ailing inmates suffer from mental health problems.

Overcrowding, lack of privacy, feelings of guilt and injustice from the court, worries about the future, homelessness, and isolation from family members are among the reasons for high mental health problems among inmates, doctors say.

Moreover, most facilities house prisoners more than double their capacity. Experts say overcrowding increases tension among the inmates. They struggle for space, logistics, and medical care, which increases the risk of fights and skirmishes. Lack of cooperation between individuals often leads to psychological problems.

“For the capacity of around 16,000, we have been adjusting nearly 30,000 inmates,” said Anuj Bhandari, spokesperson for the Department of Prison Management. “A lot of inmates might be having mental health problems just due to the jail’s environment.”

Along with mental health issues, prisoners also complain of problems including diabetes, hypertension, renal problems, thyroid, respiratory ailments and tuberculosis.

Doctors say many prisoners suffer from anxiety and depression. Those with serious problems are treated at Patan Mental Hospital. Compared to the general public, jailed convicts are more vulnerable to mental health problems, officials said.

Thapa said that health problems, including mental health issues and other non-communicable diseases, are high among inmates.

Panic disorder, agoraphobia, separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, substance use, psychotic disorder, adjustment disorder, dissociative identity disorder, conversion disorder, and epilepsy are the types of mental health issues prevalent among Nepalis. These conditions are also found among the inmates.

Several measures have been taken to address the health issues of inmates, and the mental health screening is one.

Of late, mental health problems have emerged as a major public health issue overall. Studies show that around 20 percent of the total patients visiting the outpatient department at any hospital suffer from mental health problems.

A study carried out by the Nepal Health Research Council showed that about 13 percent of the population suffers from some form of mental disorder. This means around one in eight people have mental health issues.

The World Health Organization says one in four people globally are affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. Around 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide.

Nepal has placed some medicines for mental health conditions on the essential drug list, which are distributed for free at government health facilities.