Mental Healthcare Bill passed in Parliament: All you need to know

From defining what mental illness is, to decriminalising suicide attempts, the bill goes a long way

The Parliament passed the Mental Healthcare Bill, 2016 with Lok Sabha approving it on Monday. The Mental Healthcare Bill, 2016, aims to provide for mental healthcare and services for persons with mental illness and ensure these persons have the right to live a life with dignity by not being discriminated against or harassed. The bill also states that a person who attempts suicide shall be presumed to be suffering from mental illness at that time and will not be punished under the Indian Penal Code. The bill was previously passed in the Rajya Sabha in August last year with 134