Mental health consists of the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of an individual which has an impact on the way people think, feel, and act. It also influences how they deal with stress, interact with others, and make decisions. Mental health is vital at all stages of life, including childhood, adolescence, and maturity.
Adolescence is a critical time for developing important social and emotional habits for mental health. Changes in hormones in the body, changes in the social environment, and changes in the brain and consciousness all occur during adolescence. As per research, adolescence makes people more vulnerable to mental health issues. Many mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance use disorders, and psychosis, first manifest themselves before the age of 24. Today’s youth is facing a lot of challenges in their daily life such as the effect of the pandemic on their education and future, peer pressure, addiction, depression, and anxiety.
In the last two years, high school and college students have struggled with their education due to the global pandemic. As the country went into complete lockdown the mode of instruction moved from offline to online and due to financial concerns many students had to shift back to their villages. Living in a village made it more difficult for them to study online because they didn’t have access to adequate facilities such as the internet, laptops, or computers.
Examinations were an even greater source of anxiety for students, particularly those finishing their 10th/12th or graduation because the government was unsure how to proceed with their education. Graduate students were eventually given online exams, and the 10th and 12th exams were cancelled. Because the government took such a long time to make this decision, students felt left in the middle, as their futures were on the line, and the next step in their careers was dependent on whether or not the examination would take place. Unfortunately, companies are hesitant to hire graduates who passed out in the years 2020 and 2021, making it more difficult for students who took online exams to find work.
Many students feel like they are missing out on their college and school life, as there is a lack of social engagement with their classmates, a lack of activities to participate in, and an overall lack of interaction has resulted in feelings of loneliness. As per recent studies, the pandemic has caused an increase in depression, stress, and anxiety faced by students.
Mental Health Professionals who work with children and young adults have become accustomed to getting inquiries from parents regarding their child’s obsession and extreme use of social media applications. Nowadays, the majority of teenagers have Facebook and Instagram profiles. It allows a person to stay in touch with pals all over the world and gain insight into the lives of those with whom they are linked.
According to multiple sources, teenagers who use social media extensively do so because they are bored, seek an escape from their immediate physical environment, are overwhelmed and agitated, are lonely, have few real-time friends, or need to be acknowledged and validated.
Moderate use of social media isn’t a bad thing. It can help raise a person’s mood by increasing serotonin and other feel-good chemicals in the brain. Most people take a selfie and post it on social media, and they feel good about themselves when others like and comment on their posts. When this becomes a habit, it’s a problem. Many people feel compelled to post photos of themselves multiple times per day and then constantly check their accounts to see how many likes they have received.
Adolescent substance abuse is on the rise in India, and this is a direct result of shifting cultural values, fierce competition in the fields of education and employment, increasing economic pressure on families, and deteriorating supportive bonds for adolescents in this transitional age. The drugs that are easily available to adolescents are glues, tobacco, cannabis, and alcohol. Street children, child labourers, and teenagers with a family history of drug abuse and other emotional and behavioural issues are among the most vulnerable to substance abuse.
The average age of tobacco use was found to be as young as 12 years, and another study found that 46 percent of slum-dwelling adolescents began using both smokeless and smoking tobacco, as well as alcohol and cannabis, as early as childhood. The psychological effects of substance abuse are greatest in adolescents who are at risk of developing a substance use disorder, leading to major behavioural changes such as mood disorders, depression, anxiety, thought disorders such as schizophrenia, and personality disorders such as antisocial personality traits.
Fortunately, there has been an increase in the development of de-addiction centres open to the younger adult age group in India. Veda Wellness and Rehabilitation, which has locations in Mumbai and Bangalore and will open in Delhi soon, is an example of a voluntary luxury rehabilitation centre in India’s metropolitan cities.
Every year, about 20% of adolescents and young adults suffer from mental health issues. Depression is the fourth leading cause of years lived with disabilities among adolescents aged 15–19 years in the world, and anxiety is the ninth. Signs of poor mental health go unnoticed and untreated for a variety of reasons, including a lack of mental health knowledge among parents, elders, teachers, and health care providers, as well as the stigma that prevents people from seeking help.
Around 7% of adolescents aged 13–17 years in India suffer from psychiatric disorders, making it the world’s largest young population. Furthermore, a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies on psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents in India revealed that depression is prevalent among adolescents at a rate of 6.5 percent. Nonetheless, in India, mental health issues affecting this age group receive little attention. In India, over 40,000 students have committed suicide in the last five years. 8,492 students committed suicide last year. In India, one student commits suicide every hour, but people continue to act as if today’s teenagers are anything from fragile to obsessed with their appearances — each of these blame games makes diagnosing and treating teenage depression even more difficult.
To improve these conditions, it is necessary to raise mental health awareness, particularly among the youth. As a result, education and awareness about the importance of mental health must begin at a young age, such as in school and college. Young adults must know that if they are suffering from Depression/ Anxiety they must go to the best Psychologists and the best Psychiatrists for treatment of depression and anxiety.
Janhavi Mehta
Psychologist
Veda Wellness and Rehabilitation
