“Many people turn to spiritual healers but ignore the medical aspect of the illness. By the time they land in a doctor’s room, they have wasted several years, in some cases even 10 years,” he says.

An early riser, Dr Mahajan starts his day with a workout for about 50 minutes. At the hospital, his day starts with academic work and interactions with students. Then he proceeds for his clinic by 10.30 am and sees patients in the OPD in addition to attending the indoor patients.

He also attends to outstation patients at his private clinic in the evening and after a two-hour break, he has patients from the city waiting to consult him.

“We have a high magnitude of people with mental problems in our country but very few come forward for medical care. And comparatively, there are very few psychiatrists as well. Besides, only 20 per cent of people with disorders have access to a psychiatrist as many patients fail to find expert help in small towns,” Dr Mahajan says.