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New Delhi: An estimated 14 percent of India’s youth aged 15-24 reported feeling depressed That’s against an international average of 19 percent, according to UNICEF’s new ‘State of the World’s Children (SOWC)’ report, released on Tuesday.
This is the first SOWC report to focus on mental health.
The report states that the incidence of mental health problems among children has increased due to the COVID restrictions.
“Fear. Loneliness. Grief. As the coronavirus pandemic hit the world in 2019, these powerful emotions affected the lives of many millions of children, youth and families,” notes the report. “In the early days, especially , many experts feared they would harm the mental health of a generation. In truth, it will be years before we truly assess the impact of COVID-19 on our mental health. “
A survey conducted by Gallup for UNICEF in 21 countries in the first half of 2021 found that Indian youth are less willing to share their feelings of inferiority.
“An average of 83 percent of youth (ages 15 to 24) agreed that it is better to deal with mental health problems by sharing experiences with others and seeking support; In contrast, only 15 per cent felt that such problems were personal and should be dealt with on their own,” it says. “Among 21 countries, India was the only exception, with 41 percent of youth supporting the sharing option.”
This is a worrying finding because it means that such youth are less likely to seek and receive professional help and, therefore, continue to suffer from mental health conditions without a diagnosis.
The report estimates that more than 10 percent of the world’s teens aged 13-19 live with a diagnosable mental disorder. It represents 86 million adolescents in the 15-19 age group and 80 million adolescents in the 10-14 age group.
The report argues that a reluctance to talk about how they feel may come from the social stigma of mental health conditions.
The report documents examples of such stigma around the world.
On India, it writes: “Children do not automatically learn to stigmatize mental health conditions; Many mirror behaviors they see in the world around them. For example, a cross-sectional study of 566 secondary school teachers in South India found that nearly 70 percent believed that depression was a weakness, not an illness, and that it was unexpected but not dangerous.
Solution
While parents and caregivers play a very important role in meeting children’s mental health needs, programs that support them are very important, and examples of such initiatives come from around the world, the report said. give.
From India, it chose a school-based initiative from Bihar.
“Strengthening the Base of School-Based Interventions for Promotion of Adolescent Health (SEHER) in Bihar, India, is an example of a whole school multi-component mental health promotion program that operates on a large scale and Testing is done,” says this NGO-led initiative.
“Activities for all students and also provides individual counseling for students in need. It operates in conjunction with a live skill training program integrated into the classrooms,” the report said.
Read also: Can the COVID Vaccine Improve Your Mental Health? Yes, Says American Study
High cost of unresolved mental health needs
The report estimates that 45,800 teens die by suicide each year, making it the fifth most prevalent cause of death in the 10-19 age group.
Among older adolescents (15-19 years), it is the fourth most common cause of death after road injury, tuberculosis and interpersonal violence, it adds.
“New analysis for this report indicates that the annual loss in human capital resulting from mental health conditions in children aged 0-19 is $387.2 billion (purchasing power parity dollars). Of this, $340.2 billion is attributed to those disorders. This includes anxiety and depression, and $47 billion represents losses caused by suicide. Of the $340.2 billion, anxiety disorders accounted for 26.93 percent; behavioral disorders 22.63 percent; and depression 21.87 percent. ,” says the report.
It says mental health needs are also a function of the availability of mental health specialists.
The number of psychiatrists specializing in treating children and adolescents is less than 0.1 per 100,000 in all high-income countries, where the figure is 5.5 per 100,000, the report said.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
Read also: What is the impact of Covid on mental health? Your hair has the answer, says new study
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