refractoriness of psychiatric illness’ and ‘stigma of mental illness (Dickinson and Wright 2008)’, ‘high work-load leading to cognitive loading (Radcliffe, 2000)’, ‘presence of psychopathology and behavioural abnormalities in patients, e.g., high degree of aggressiveness, suicidality, persecution’, ‘the inequity in the exchange process between nurses and patients, and the unrealistic expectations of nurses of the patients’ potential for rehabilitation (Melchior et al. 2003). A likely explanation of the high level of burnout among general nurses in the present study is the fact that the selected psychiatric nurses were working in a central government (Government of India) run tertiary mental hospital and they receive higher pay packages and other benefits than the general nurses who work in a provincial government (Government of the State of Jharkhand) run hospital where the pay and other benefits are much less. Other responsible factors might be greater work pressure, pressure from the patients (RIMS happens to be the main public sector referral hospital of the state of Jharkhand),