Childhood Mental Health in Rural Northeast India: Community-Linked Insights From a Retrospective Study.

BackgroundChild psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) significantly affect children's physical and psychological well-being, while also placing substantial emotional and financial strain on families. Most existing research on the prevalence of childhood NDDs comes from urban populations, leaving rural communities underrepresented and poorly understood.MethodsThis retrospective study examined medical records of children diagnosed with psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders from rural areas of Assam, North-East India. Diagnoses were established according to the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Edition Clinical Description and Diagnostic Requirements (ICD-11CDDR). Descriptive statistics were applied to summarise socio-demographic variables and diagnostic distributions.ResultsOver a 20-month study period, 300 children from rural Assam sought treatment at our hospital, of whom 214 provided consent for inclusion. Among these participants, 36% were diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder, while 82% presented with a psychiatric condition.ConclusionNeurodevelopmental disorders impose a considerable burden on families. In rural areas, lack of awareness and stigma frequently delay treatment, exacerbate comorbidities such as epilepsy, and worsen long-term outcomes. These findings highlight the urgent need for community-based epidemiological studies in rural settings to better estimate the true burden of NDDs and to inform policy development and advocacy initiatives.