Health Insurance for Mental Health

What is Mental Illness?

Mental illness refers to mental conditions or behavioural patterns that involve unsettling or atypical thoughts and feelings. It significantly impacts how a person thinks, acts and feels as well as how they handle stress, interact with others and make decisions.

A mental disorder can affect different people differently. In severe cases, it can lead to cognitive disorders and even make performing daily activities difficult. This is why the mental well-being of a person is important at every stage of life.

Which Mental Illness is Covered in Health Insurance?

All health insurance companies in India have introduced standard health plans for mental illness. These plans offer a sum insured of ₹4 lakh and ₹5 lakh and come with a waiting period of 2 years for pre-existing mental illnesses. Some of the most common types of mental illness covered in health insurance include:

• Depression
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Bipolar disorders
• Anxiety
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Schizophrenia
• Sleep disorders
• Eating disorders (Eg: binge eating disorder)
• Dissociative disorders (Eg: multiple personality disorder)
• Dementia
• Neurodevelopmental disorders
• Personality disorders (Eg: paranoid personality disorder)
• Impulse control and addiction disorders (Eg: compulsive gambling)

Benefits of Buying Health Insurance for Mental Illness

Here are some of the key reasons to buy health insurance covering mental illness:

1. Comprehensive Coverage for Mental Illness

   Health insurance plans provide coverage for a wide range of mental illness and psychological disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, dementia, anxiety, bipolar disorder and personality disorders. Since treatment for mental illness is usually costly and goes on for an extended period, most people hesitated seeking professional help. But with the availability of mental health insurance coverage in India, the cost of treating a mental illness will be covered by insurance companies in India.

2. Protection Against High Incidence of Mental Disorders

   In the last couple of decades, mental diseases have grown exponentially. As per data, 60 to 70 million people in India suffer from mental illness. In fact, about 14.3% of people die of mental disorders every year. Considering the high incidence of mental diseases in India and its costly treatment, it is prudent for everyone to buy health insurance with mental health coverage.

3. Putting a Stop on Social Taboos

   For the longest time, mental illnesses were considered a social taboo. People with mental disorders were often ill-treated and discriminated against. No wonder people feared coming out in the open regarding their mental illness. However, with increased awareness about people’s mental well-being and mental illness covered in health insurance, people have been more inclusive of mental health patients.

Who Should Buy Mental Health Insurance?

With the current stressful lifestyle, everyone should opt for mental health insurance in India as more people have become vulnerable to mental illnesses like depression. However, the following people should opt for the right health insurance for mental health coverage in India:

• People who have a family history of mental illness 
• People who have suffered from any traumatic experience of losing a loved one or an accident

List of Mental Health Insurance Plans in India

Take a look at the right health insurance for mental health coverage in India:

*Disclaimer: The list mentioned is according to the alphabetical order of the insurance companies. Policybazaar does not endorse, rate or recommend any particular insurer or insurance product offered by any insurer. This list of plans listed here comprise of insurance products offered by all the insurance partners of Policybazaar. For complete list of insurers in India refer to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India website www.irdai.gov.in.

Inclusions of Health Insurance for Mental Health 

Health insurance for mental illness provides coverage for the following:

• In-patient care
• Day care treatments
• AYUSH treatments
• Pre-hospitalization medical expenses
• Post-hospitalization medical expenses
• Emergency ground ambulance
• Cataract treatment
• Modern treatment
• Teleconsultations

Exclusions of Health Insurance for Mental Health

A mental health insurance policy does not cover the insured for the following:

• Psychological disorders or complications arising out of alcohol or drug abuse, dependence and withdrawal
• Self-inflicted injury or suicide attempts
• OPD treatments
• AYUSH treatments
• Diagnostic tests/investigations or treatment taken without prescriptions
• Unproven treatments
• Treatments taken outside India
• Non-payable items

Tips to Boost Your Mental Health

Check out some tips to maintain good mental health:

1. Make time to do things that you love
2. Get at least 7 to 9 hours of interrupted sleep at night
3. Get closer to nature to calm yourself
4. Indulge in physical activities like exercising, dancing, and walking to release ‘feel good’ hormones
5. Follow a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables
6. Practice yoga and meditation to relieve stress 
7. Be kind to others to uplift your mood and feel good
8. Plan activities and vacations to look forward to
9. Understand your feelings by writing them down or speaking them out
10. Talk to someone you trust to feel relieved

FAQs