More than 75 per cent of beneficiaries who received mental-health treatment under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana were aged between 18 and 45, according to data shared by the State Health Agency (SHA).As per the Health Department data, 709 beneficiaries received mental-health treatment under the scheme during the available seven-month period till August 11, involving treatment worth Rs 83.36 lakh.The age profile provides a significant insight. As many as 284 beneficiaries treated cashless under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana were aged between 31 and 45 years, while 249 were in the 18-30 age group. Together, the two groups account for 533 beneficiaries, or 75.2 per cent of the total.Sharing the details, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said, “Mental healthcare should not become a luxury that a family seeks only when it can afford it. If someone needs professional help, the focus should be on getting that person the right care at the right time.”The SHA data also shows that the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana is addressing a range of mental-health conditions, including neurotic and stress-related disorders, mood and affective disorders, behavioural syndromes associated with physiological and physical factors, and mental and behavioural disorders linked to psychoactive substance use.The treatment pattern highlights the need to address both common mental-health conditions and those associated with substance use.Dr Gagandeep Sekhon, MD Psychiatry and Consultant Psychiatrist at Civil Hospital, Barnala, said, “The 18–45 age group is particularly important from a mental-health perspective because this is the phase when people are building careers, managing relationships, raising families and handling significant financial responsibilities.”Dr Gagandeep Sekhon added, “Mental health concerns are often ignored until they begin to interfere with daily functioning, by which time they are harder to manage.”The SHA data also highlights the close relationship between mental health and substance abuse.Substance dependence can have psychological, behavioural and social consequences and may require sustained professional treatment, de-addiction and rehabilitation.