New Delhi: A study by healthcare platform Practo has found that among women, those under the age of 35 are the largest group seeking help for mental health. As per the study, there is also a 23 per cent increase in total consultations by women in 2022 as compared to the previous year.
The fastest growing specialties sought by women were oncology (recording a year-over-year or 96 percent increase) and mental health (66 percent).
The study, released on Thursday, collected Data from 78,000 female users in the country ahead of International Women’s Day (8 March).
The five specialties most consulted by women in 2022 were gynecology (16 percent of consultations), dermatology (10 percent), general practitioners (8 percent), and dentists and pediatricians (5 percent each).
The age-wise break-up of mental health consultations by women showed that 61.6 per cent were in the 25-34 age group.
Those aged 35-44 constituted 16.5 per cent of female mental health help-seekers, while 16.3 per cent were aged 18-24. remaining 5.6 percent were women 45 and older.
“The most discussed concerns” were withdrawal symptoms, suicidal behavior, stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder.domestic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorder, drug abuse and alcohol addiction.
Similarly, the highest number of oncology consultations, at 63.7 percent, were done by women aged 25-34. This was followed by women aged 35-44 (27 percent) and 18-24 (5.3 percent).
Talking about the rise in mental health counseling among women, Dr Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Health Strategy Officer at Practo, said in a statement, “In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of young women seeking mental health support And this trend warrants attention and action.
They said several factors were responsible for this trend, such as “increased awareness and addressing of mental health concerns, the impact of social media on mental health, and the unique stresses and challenges faced by younger generations”.,
He added, “As a community, we need to recognize this and provide support and promote overall wellness.”
In this change, said clinical psychologist Dr. Rajeev Nandy, “acceptance and awareness have been the most fundamental driving forces”.
Women were more educated, and “are in positions of power, they know how to exercise their rights, they know when and how to assert themselves and they certainly have the ability to recognize when something is wrong.” is not right and seeks help”, said Nandi, president of Srishti Bal Vikas Evam Shikshan Sansthan.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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