Institute of Mental Health and Hospital

The Institute of Mental Health and Hospital Agra was originally established in September 1859 during the British Raj as the Agra Lunatic Asylum, founded by the State government of Uttar Pradesh. It was one of several asylums set up by the British Government in India, following earlier institutions established in Bombay in 1745 and Calcutta in 1784, with more founded in 1857 in major Indian cities. The institution was renamed Mental Hospital Agra in 1925 and was previously managed under the provisions of the Indian Lunacy Act, 1912; it is now managed under the Mental Healthcare Act 2017. In 1994, the Honourable Supreme Court of India renamed it Agra Mansik Arogyashala and made it an autonomous institution aimed at improving treatment and care of mentally ill persons and providing professional education, training, and research on mental health. On 8 February 2001, it was renamed again to its current name, Institute of Mental Health and Hospital Agra. The institute spans a campus of 172.8 acres located in Agra, in front of Bilochpura Railway Station near Sikendra. It is well known in India for its work in treatment, research, and training on human mental disorders, and offers professional courses including MD Psychiatry, DNB Psychiatry, M.Phil Clinical Psychology, M.Phil Psychiatric Social Work, Post Basic Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing, and short-term training programmes in Psychiatry.