Why Teenage Mental Health Neglected in India

one in four teenagers in India suffer from depression and anxiety. 10519 students died by suicide in 2018 alone. according to ncrb data, in every hour a student attempt suicide in India

Since 2007 there has been a 52 percent increase in the rate of student suicide. At least one student commits suicide every hour in India. The year 2019 recorded the highest number of deaths by suicide (10,335) in the last 25 years. From 1995 to 2019, India lost more than 1.7 lakh students to suicide.

Despite being one of the most advanced states in India, Maharashtra had the highest number of student suicides. In 2019, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh accounted for 44% of the total student suicides. Every hour one student commits suicide in India, with about 28 such suicides reported every day, according to data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Maharashtra had the highest number of student suicides in 2018 with 1,448, followed by Tamil Nadu with 953 and Madhya Pradesh with 862. The NCRB data shows that 10,159 students committed suicide in 2018, an increase from 9,905 in 2017 and 9,478 in 2016. A Lancet study stated that suicide death rates in India are among the highest in the world and a large proportion of adult suicide deaths occur between the ages 15 and 29.

All of these figures indicate that there is only one thing we as a nation need to discuss: the mental health of teenagers something that our nation has long neglected. because we don’t want to talk about mental health.

You may be aware that doctors estimate that 50% of mental diseases begin by the age of 14 and 75% by the age of 24. given that people under the age of 25 make up more than half of the population in our nation. The covid epidemic has also led to an upsurge in mental disease and mental health issues . You can only speculate as to how challenging this circumstance would be for teenagers right now.

Why Teenage Mental Health Neglected in India

Teenagers are often stereotyped as being hooked to their phones. We claim that they use social media constantly, seek out immediate social approval, etc.

But we often overlook the fact that adolescence is a particularly challenging time since it involves body through a great number of changes while mind is racing with a great deal of confusion and disarray.

Teens do offer their parents obvious signs when they are going through a difficult time. Their behaviour has undergone a noticeable alteration. If the parents don’t approach that shift with the graveness and seriousness that are required, then undoubtedly, just like any other illness, it will go out of hand.

Teenager worry about more than just examinations and grades; we would even argue that sex education is closely related to mental health. Teenagers’ end-of-puberty state is a major contributing factor to the development of mental health issues. They need to comprehend what is happening to them because their hormones are out of control. why they find other persons of different genders to be attractive.

They lack the skills to interact with people of the other sex. they do not know how to set boundaries. how they learn about sex is through porn or by friends.

It’s somewhat comprehensible, additionally due to the numerous changes body undergoes during adolescence.  hormones are out of control, and they are attracted to other people. because of this, dating and FOMO led to guilt over lack of productivity. simply insufficient watching. not enough reading. The mental health of a teen can truly suffer by not keeping up with everything on social media, etc.

What Leads Students to Suicide?

• Family Problems Parents put pressure on their children to keep doing well. Students who fall short of their goals in the realm of competition consider taking their own lives to escape the daily abuse, criticism, and neglect.
• Mental Health The most undervalued component of our culture is mental health. Students go through a lot of changes when they are introduced to the competitive environment. People who struggle to keep up with the fast-paced way of life frequently feel abandoned and unworthy. This starts the depressive sensation, which eventually manifests in a more serious way.

• Social Perception Student and adolescent behaviour is expected to conform to social norms set out by society. When they don’t fit in, they are stigmatised and frequently shunned. The stigma associated with depression is thought to prevent people from talking about their illness.
• Peer Influence Most of us have experienced peer pressure at some point in our lives. However, it now has a bigger influence on how people think and act. As a result, pupils are engaging in behaviours that are unsuitable for them and ultimately detrimental to their wellbeing.
• Education Only goods that can be sold on the job market are produced by education in the twenty-first century. Important educational components like mental health, happiness, optimistic thinking, etc. are simply ignored.

Symptoms

Symptoms are difficult to identify, but those in close vicinity, such as friends, family, instructors, etc., can quickly spot the abrupt change in behaviour.

• Becoming introvert.
• Mental inactivity and disorientation.
• Lack of social engagement.
• Constantly seeking out conversation.
• Negativity and a gloomy perspective.

you feel that you have depression or anxiety or you are not feeling well, then take help of people. Talk to friends and relatives. Talk to the helpline number. Talk to your parents. And if your parents do not understand you, then tell them through YouTube or other online sources related to mental health that you are not alone, many people are struggling with mental health problems.

If you are a parent, it is your duty to check that your child is sleeping properly, eating properly. Is there change in their mood and habits ? Is he/she feeling tired? Or meeting and talking to people has reduced etc. there are a lot of ways to help your children, if you are not sure where to begin then you can also call on free mental health helpline numbers.

Additionally, parents must be more receptive to their children. Talk to them about their problems because if we ignore the teenage mental health issue, it could quickly become out of hand and negatively impact their adult life.

Article Originally Published : Healthy Knots