The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), located in Bengaluru, Karnataka, stands as India's apex centre for mental health education, neuroscience research, and advanced patient care. Its history dates back to 1847, when the Bangalore Lunatic Asylum was founded. In 1925, it was renamed as the Government Mental Hospital under the Government of Mysore — the first institute in India for postgraduate training in psychiatry. NIMHANS, in its present form, was established in 1974 as the result of an amalgamation of the erstwhile State Mental Hospital and the All India Institute of Mental Health (AIIMH). In 1994, it was granted 'Deemed to be University' status by the UGC, and in 2012, it was officially designated as an Institute of National Importance by an Act of Parliament. Spread across a 174-acre campus (including an under-construction 30-acre North Campus), NIMHANS is a multidisciplinary institution that uniquely combines clinical care, academic training, and cutting-edge research under one roof. The campus houses 28 academic departments, 16 Centres of Excellence — including the Centre for Addiction Medicine, Centre for Public Health, NIMHANS Digital Academy, Advanced Centre for Ayurveda, Library and Information Center, and the Community Mental Health Centre — as well as state-of-the-art research laboratories, an NABH-accredited hospital with 1,096 beds, specialty clinics, and comprehensive residential infrastructure. Academically, NIMHANS offers an unparalleled breadth of programs spanning undergraduate B.Sc. courses, postgraduate MD, M.Sc., MPhil, and MPH programs, super-specialty DM and MCh courses, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Fellowships, Diploma programs, and a newly introduced MBBS course (from 2020). With 28 academic departments covering psychiatry, neurology, neurosurgery, clinical psychology, psychiatric social work, psychiatric nursing, neurophysiology, neuro-anaesthesia, neuropathology, biostatistics, medical biophysics, and human genetics, the institute offers one of the most comprehensive curricula in the country for mental health and neuroscience education. The institute enrolls over 700 students annually across its various programs. Clinical training at NIMHANS is anchored by its 1,096-bed NABH-accredited teaching hospital, which houses specialized outpatient and inpatient services for a wide spectrum of conditions — from schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder to complex neurological disorders, epilepsy, movement disorders, neurosurgical conditions, and substance dependence. Dedicated addiction medicine clinics, geriatric mental health services, a child and adolescent psychiatry clinic, a community mental health outreach program, and a telemedicine centre ensure students gain exposure to the entire spectrum of mental health and neuroscience care. Research at NIMHANS is globally recognized. The institute is one of India's leading translational research centres in psychiatry and neuroscience, consistently contributing to international publications, multicentre research, and policy-level mental health initiatives. NIMHANS has received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion (2024) by WHO, reinforcing its global standing. For postgraduate MD Psychiatry residents, NIMHANS offers a monthly stipend of ₹80,000–₹85,000, making it one of the most lucrative stipend-paying government institutions. DM and MCh program residents receive competitive stipends as well. The campus offers comprehensive residential facilities through multiple hostels — Bhadra, Cauvery, Kabini, Vedavathi, Netravathi, Sharavathi, Bhavani, Kapila, and others — for male, female, research, and family accommodation categories. Campus amenities include a large library (one of the largest mental health and neuroscience libraries in the world), a swimming pool, herbal garden, gymnasium, sports facilities (cricket, football, basketball), auditorium, food court, NIMHANS convention centre, and 24/7 Wi-Fi. NIMHANS is ranked 7th in the Medical category by NIRF 2025 (Score: 69.77), 4th by IIRF 2025, and 4th by India Today 2024. Its placement record is exemplary — particularly for nursing graduates, who achieve near 100% placement under a service bond, while MD and DM graduates are sought after by leading hospitals across India and internationally. As a national reference centre, NIMHANS has no parallel in India for the depth and specificity of training it provides in mental health and neurosciences.