Dharwad Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (DIMHANS)

DIMHANS began in 1845 as a "Lunatic Asylum" within a jail in Dharwad. Over time it evolved: in 1885 jail rooms were used as patient wards, in 1909 the asylum was separated from the jail and enclosed by a wall, and in 1922 the British Government declared it a "Government Mental Hospital." In 1993 it was renamed "Karnataka Institute of Mental Health" to reduce stigma, and in 2009, following the D. M. Nanjundappa report on regional disparities, it became an autonomous post-graduate training institute renamed DIMHANS. In 2020 it served as a major COVID-19 testing center for North Karnataka, and in 2021 a new "Bendre Block" and CT Scan facilities were inaugurated after a Karnataka High Court directive to upgrade infrastructure. DIMHANS houses departments of Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology, Psychiatric Social Work, Psychiatric Nursing, and Neuroanaesthesia, along with centres for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, and Cognitive Neurosciences. Affiliated with RGUHS, it offers programs including MD in Psychiatry, MPhil in Clinical Psychology, MPhil in Psychiatric Social Work, MSc in Psychiatric Nursing, and a Post Basic Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing. It also provides day-care rehabilitation, mental health awareness programs, free legal advice, and de-addiction services.