Mental health legislation: does it facilitate or hinder mental healthcare in countries of South Asia?

Research and clinical information pertaining to mental health needs of South Asians countries (SEAR) is limited but growing. There is a tendency to group all persons of Asian descent together and, therefore, the empirical literature does not sufficiently address the mental health needs in specific subgroups. The focus of this article is to understand the mental health needs of SEAR and to understand the present legislation by examining historical, cultural, and contextual challenges. Despite the well-documented mental health needs for these countries, most do not present for mental health services.