The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences was popularly known as NIMHANS; is a medical institution located in Bengaluru Urban was established in 1925.

NIMHANS, the apex centre for mental health and neuroscience education in the country, operates autonomously under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The history of the Institute dates back to 1847 when the Bangalore Lunatic Asylum was founded. In 1925, the Government of Mysore rechristened the asylum as the Mental Hospital. The Mysore Government Mental Hospital became the first institute in India for postgraduate training in psychiatry.

The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) was the result of the amalgamation of the erstwhile State Mental Hospital and the All India Institute of Mental Health (AIIMH) established by the Government of India in 1954.

Therefore in 1974, AIIMH and Mental Hospital were amalgamated, giving birth to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS). With this, the legacy of Dr. Govindaswamy to implement a multidisciplinary approach by integrating mental health and neurosciences turned into a reality.

The institute was inaugurated on 27 December 1974 as NIMHANS, establishing it as an autonomous body under the Societies Registration Act to lead in the area of medical service and research in the country.

On November 14, 1994, NIMHANS was conferred a deemed university status by the University Grants Commission with academic autonomy. The institute has been declared as an Institute of National Importance (INI) by an act of parliament on 14th September 2012.

In March 2017, the Government of India passed the Mental Healthcare Bill 2016, which also proposes to set up NIMHANS-like institutions across the nation.

As per the Act, NIMHANS does not come under the purview of any of the statutory councils, namely, Medical Council of India, Indian Nursing Council or Rehabilitation Council of India. A number of seats for different courses notified in the prospectus will not be increased under any circumstance.

Institute at a Glance:

The Government of India established the All India Institute of Mental Health in 1954 in association with the then existing Mental Hospital of the Government of Karnataka. The major objective of the Institute was to generate manpower in the field of mental health and neurosciences.

The Mental Hospital, Bengaluru, which had built up certain traditions since 1938 in matters related to undergraduate training in the field of Psychiatry was chosen by the Government of India as the centre for training.

In tune with this objective, two diploma courses – one in Psychological Medicine (DPM) and the other in Medical Psychology (DMP) were started in January 1955. These were followed by a Post Certificate Course in Psychiatric Nursing (DPN) in January 1956. The Institute was then affiliated to the University of Mysore for these courses.

Subsequently, the Institute got affiliated to the Bangalore University, Bengaluru in 1964. The Bangalore University established a separate faculty of Mental Health and Neurosciences.

The institute introduced MD in Psychological Medicine in 1966, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 1967 and a Post Graduate Diploma in Psychiatric Social Work (DPSW) in 1968. DM in Neurology and M.Ch in Neurosurgery courses followed in 1970. Ph.D. programs in different disciplines were introduced later.

The All India Institute of Mental Health and the Mental Hospital of the Government of Karnataka were amalgamated into an autonomous Institute and thus the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) came into existence in 1974. With this, academic training programs got a fillip and many new courses were introduced.

Milestones:

• 1847 - Bangalore Lunatic Asylum was founded. Dr. Charles Irwing Smith, a British medical practitioner in Bangalore, played a pivotal role in the establishment of the asylum
• 1925 - The Bangalore asylum was renamed the Mysore Government Mental Hospital, an important step towards developing a medical approach to mental illness
• 1935 - Insulin Coma Therapy (ICT), developed by Austrian-American psychiatrist Manfred J Sakel, was introduced in the Mysore Government Mental Hospital by Dr. MV Govindaswamy, the then medical superintendent of the Mysore Government Mental Hospital, as in the UK (1935) and the US (1936)
• 1936 - The second highest hillock in Bangalore was allotted for the Hospital, which was earlier housed in a building on Avenue Road, where the State Bank of Mysore head office stands today. Maharaja of Mysore, KrishnarajaWodeyar laid the foundation stone for constructing the hospital in May 1936.
• 1940 - A well-equipped laboratory and medical library were started. The Hospital was recognized as a teaching institution for MBBS, BA Hons. in Psychology, and LMP
• 1942 - The first leucotomy operation in the country was performed on 21st September 1942 by Dr. M.V. Govindaswamy and Dr. BN Balakrishna Rao at the Hospital
• 1945 - Following the recommendations of the Mental Health Advisory Committee of the Indian Council for Medical Hygiene under Sir AL Mudaliar in 1945 and Bhore Committee in 1946, the Government of India sanctioned the establishment of the All India Institute of Mental Health on 1st April 1954. On 6th August 1954, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the then Union Health Minister inaugurated the AIIMH and Dr. MV Govindaswamy was appointed as the Director on 15th September 1954
• 1955 - The first postgraduate courses, Diploma in Psychological Medicine (DPM) and Diploma in Medical psychology (DMP) were started
• 1961 - Children’s Pavilion comprising a child guidance clinic and a children’s ward was opened
• 1966 - New post graduate courses in psychiatry (MD psychological Medicine), Neurology (DM Neurology), Neurosurgery (MCh Neurosurgery) and Post Graduate Diploma in Psychiatric Social Work (DPSW) in affiliation with Bangalore University. Five special clinics: Anxiety Clinic, Behaviour Disorder Clinic, Headache Clinic, Hysteria Clinic and Mental Deficiency Clinic started functioning from the same year
• 1971 - Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Centre with different sections was inaugurated
• 1973 - The Neuro Centre, with a separate blood bank and a well-equipped Neuroradiology section was inaugurated
• 1974 - The Mental Hospital established by the Government of Mysore and the All India Institute of Mental Health established by the Government of India were amalgamated on 27th December 1974, resulting in the formation of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS). Community Psychiatry Unit was also launched in the same year
• 1975 - Neuropathology Museum storing human brain specimens for academic and research purposes was inaugurated. Community mental health services were launched at Sakalwara. A unique facility of family wards was also opened
• 1979 - The Central Animal Research Facility (CARF) was started as an aid to research and teaching
• 1982 - Electron Microscopy Lab in the Neuropathology Department was established
• 1994 - Recognising its eminent academic position, NIMHANS was declared a Deemed University, with academic autonomy
• 1995 - The Human Brain Bank was established with financial aid from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), and Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR)
• 2002 - Advanced Centre for Ayurveda to augment clinical service and research activity was started
• 2007 - The Neurobiology Research Centre (NRC), a sophisticated common research facility, was opened
• 2011 - Inventa, a critical care ventilator, was developed by NIMHANS
• 2011 - The NIMHANS Centre for Well-Being at BTM Layout was started, with an aim to provide promotive and preventive services in the area of mental health
• 2012 - NIMHANS was declared an Institute of National Importance, vide the Gazette of India Notification dated 14th September 2012 by the Government of India. Centre for Public Health (CPH) was established to provide inputs for strengthening public health components in formulating policies and program development focusing on problems, priorities, challenges, and solutions, in the same year
• 2014 - ICMR Advanced Centre for Translational Research was started

Vision:

• To be a realm leader in the area of Mental Health and Neurosciences and evolve state-of-the-art approaches to patient care through translational research

Mission:

• Test Establish the highest standards of evidence-based care for psychiatric and neurological disorders and rehabilitation
• Develop expertise and set standards of care for diseases of public health relevance in the developing world
• Work with the government and provide consultancy services for policy planning and monitoring strategies in the field of Mental Health and Neurosciences and facilitate execution of national health program
• Human resource capacity building by training in diverse fields related to Mental Health and Neurosciences
• Develop and strengthen interdisciplinary, inter-institutional and international collaboration with universities and research institutes across the globe to foster scientific research, training in advanced technology and exchange of ideas in the areas of Mental Health and Neurosciences
• Strive to enhance equitable accessibility of primary care in Mental Health and Neurological Disorders to all sections of society and ages including the vulnerable population
• Evolve and monitor the strategies for disaster management and psycho-social rehabilitation in different cultural and ethnic groups
• Promote Mental Health literacy and eliminate the stigma attached to the Mental and Neurological Illnesses by taking the measures and the delivery system to the centres of primary health care honoring the human rights and dignity
• Integrate allopathic and oriental medicine into health care delivery and promote evidence-based research
• Integrate physical and metaphysical aspects of Neuroscience research to promote yoga and its application to positive mental health
• Participate in broad field of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research applicable to human ethics, organ transplantation, stem cell research, space science, and nuclear science