State Of Mental Health Of Young India Is A Concern, Here Is What Experts Say Needs To Be Done

The past nearly two years have been tough for most of us. The uncertainties triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has hit a lot of us very hard.

The pandemic, fear of getting infected, deaths of loved ones lockdowns, online classes, work from home, job losses, financial worries and more have hit us hard, and it has taken a toll on our mental health.

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It is not just the adults that have been affected by this, but a large section of the teen and young adult population as well.

A recent report, The State of the World＊s Children 2021; On My Mind: promoting, protecting and caring for children＊s mental health 每 UNICEF＊s most comprehensive look at the mental health of children, adolescents and caregivers in the 21st century found that even before COVID-19, children and young people carried the burden of mental health conditions without significant investment in addressing them.

It said that children in India seem reluctant to seek support for mental stress, according to a survey conducted by UNICEF and Gallup in early 2021 with 20,000 children and adults in 21 countries. Only 41 per cent of young people between 15-24 years of age in India said that it is good to get support for mental health problems, compared to an average of 83 per cent for 21 countries.

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While there is an increase in awareness, about mental health among Indians, much more needs to be done.

Indiatimes spoke to Vaishali Ganwir, a Clinical Psychologist at Mpower Cell Management about the growing mental health crisis in India and the solutions to tackle the growing challenge.

If anything that this pandemic has brought to our notice, it is the growing mental health crisis in people, especially amongst our youth. According to UNICEF, every 7 the Indian youth has suffered from depression during Covid-19. Now that our schools are reopening after almost a gap of 18 months, it is of utmost importance that we as a society must look for any signs of mental health issues amongst children and adolescents and provide necessary help. No one works at an individual level. It is the responsibility of the school, teachers, doctors, parents and the government to work together in fighting this mental health pandemic.

Role of Teachers

A lot of responsibility lies with the teacher to be able to identify any slight changes in a student＊s behaviour in the classroom. Recognizing signs of possible crisis such as depressed mood, violent behaviour, suicidal ideation, etc. should be on top most priority.

In such cases, holding space for such emotional expression 每 i.e. allowing the child to feel his or her emotions without any judgement will allow the child to learn self-regulation.

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Role of Parents/ Family

Parents will have to be extra vigilant with the signs and symptoms exhibited by their child and seeking immediate help of a professional.

Role of Schools and Colleges

Presence of a Psychologist in primary and secondary division school so that counselling sessions become a normal part of school life.

Mental health promotional activities to train the teachers, staff and principals.

Role of Offices and Organizations

Mental health interventions at the workplace for employees such as Stress

Management workshops and seminars to reduce stigma and clear any misconceptions.

Presence of a Psychologist for providing counselling sessions to the employees on a regular basis.

Role of Medical Fraternity

Integration of mental health in general medical, paediatric and primary care services will be an effective strategy to deal with a larger youth population in India.

Increasing the number of Mental Health Care Professionals 每 Psychiatrists,

Psychologists, and Social Workers to cater to the increasing demand of their services.

Role of Government

The government must acknowledge that the magnitude of mental health disorders in India is nearing a pandemic. Therefore, strict implementation of the National Mental Health Care Act 2017 is the need of the hour.

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Strategic planning, developing and implementing a separate policy catering specifically to children and adolescent mental health, increasing budget allocation in the arena of mental health, insurance policies to cover mental illness and providing affordable and accessible mental healthcare services for both rural and urban population are some of the key measures that will have a long-term and far-reaching impact in tackling the mental health crisis in India.

With India expected to have almost 250 million working population by the year 2030, it is high time that we take measures and responsibility to take care of our youth in the best possible manner.