Mental retardation is largely understood to be the single largest neuropsychiatric disorder in every civilized society affecting 2.5-3.0% of the total population (Kaur & Singh, 2010). Data obtained from various sources and statistics provided by the National Institute for Mentally Handicapped (NIMH) indicate that the prevalence rate of mental retardation in India is about 20 per 1000 in the general population i.e., around 2%, and of this one fourth suffer from severe retardation. According to the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO), among the general population, the incidence of mental retardation is 3.1% in rural areas and 0.9% in urban areas. In India an average of 2.5% children are mild or moderately retarded and 0.5% are severely retarded. Under the age of 14 there are about 7.5 million retarded children in India and the prevalence of developmental disabilities and delays is about 30 per 1000 (Panda, 1999). Another significant mental disorder occurring in childhood is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Current estimates suggest that ADHD is present throughout the world in about 1-5% of the population. It is a chronic disorder with 30 to 50 percent of those individuals diagnosed in childhood continuing to have symptoms into adulthood (Silver, 1992). In India, prevalence of ADHD is 0.02% (Aravind Pillai et al, 2008). However higher rates are estimated, as 64.9% of the referrals are from pediatricians.
Keywords: Clinic psychology, families support, structure of care