The World Health Organisation fixed October 10 as the World Mental Health Day and the theme this year was our topic of discussion-World Mental Health Day 2018 –Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World,to bring attention to the issues our youth and young adults are facing in our world today. The focus was also on starting a healthy conversation around what they need, in order to grow up to be healthy, happy and resilient.
Let’s all use this year to create awareness and emphasise the needs of our children and young people. It’s time to take a stand and demand more for the world’s young people–our future depends on it.
Today, it’s a challenging time for the youth,who have to grow up in a world which is jam-packed with global issues like economic crisis, impending wars, hostile nations and social media inputs of all kinds of information, available at the click of a button on smart phones or computers. Many youth are not mentally equipped to understand or deal with such issues, and are not able to cope up with them and thereby fall prey to maladaptive coping behaviors. They may end up with mental illnesses, risky sexual behaviors and addictions. The increasing use of online technologies, which certainly do have many benefits, may also add to the pressures on the psyche of the youth, as there is constant connectivity to virtual networks 24 hours a day.
Its more challenging today because the youth may face and see violence in home, schools and at their work place on a regular basis. Vulgar films, cyber-crimes, cyber bullying and violent video games are abundantly found and shown on the internet and these are easily accessible to the youth. As a result, they are spending most of their time viewing them, living and interacting in a virtual world with virtual friends and are thus confused between the ‘virtual and the real’, between the ‘reel and the real’. Added to all this, is the peer pressure, their body image issues and an identity crisis they may face in school or in college, which can lead them to be in low self esteem and be stressed. Depression, suicides and substance abuse numbers are thus steadily rising in the youth.
Adolescence and the early years of adulthood are a stressful growing up time for everyone. In addition to the hormonal, physical and emotional turmoil which the youth undergo at this time, it is also a time when they face many life and situational upheavals, like school and academic problems, maybe transitions in the school or from school to college. They may have to live in the hostels away from family or they may have to make career choices or start a new job.
It may be an exciting time for many but is also a stressful time for many more. Lack of adequate awareness and family support can lead to feelings of loneliness, stress and depression in many, who may then go into maladaptive coping and fall prey to mental illnesses and addictions..
It is a proven fact that mental illnesses are on the rise in youth today. Stress Depression and other psychiatric problems are steeply rising in them and they are unaware and do not know how to tackle these issues because they are taught little to nothing about mental health care in school or at home. It has been analysed that half of all mental illness begins by the age of 14 years.
This is the vulnerable time and age for children when they undergo transition from childhood to adolescence, where they need constant help, love and guidance. But sadly,most cases of children in distress go undetected and untreated due to ignorance of these issues and problems by the well meaning elders at home or in school.
Peer pressure has added fuel to this menace and so have the many popular movies and the print and visual media which have further made the issues more complex for the youth. Lack of appropriate sex education has complicated their ideas of their sexuality and constant onslaught of mal-information and porn sites on the internet has confused them much more.
In terms of the burden of the disease among adolescents, depression is the third leading cause and suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds. Harmful use of alcohol and illicit drugs among adolescents is a major issue in many countries and can lead to risky behaviors such as unsafe sex or dangerous driving. Eating disorders are also of concern. The need of the hour is to empower the youth and help them grow their mental resilience.
On a positive note, we can say that society has now realised the need for helping youth develop and grow their mental resilience from their childhood, so that they can be in high self esteem, confident, aware and be able to cope with the challenges of the changing times as they grow up. Youth have rightly been said to be the back bone of a strong society and nation and there is evidence which tells us that promoting good adolescent health -both physical and mental, builds a strong society and is the need of the hour.
It empowers our youth to be aware, resilient and stress free and thus makes them more productive. This, further, helps in having happy societies and builds up our economies because healthy young adults make a greater contribution to the workforce, their families, communities and society at large.
Prevention of Mental Resilience and Illnesses begins with awareness and better understanding
We have to focus on psycho educating our youth about mental illnesses and how to manage and recover from them when they fall prey to them. We have to make them aware of the changes in the world today and teach them from their childhood, how to build their mental resilience and grit so that they learn how to cope adaptively with the challenges they face in life and not go into mental distress or into mental illnesses when they reach their adolescence or become young adults. It is imperative to realise that prevention has always been proven to be better than cure for any adversity in life especially with concern to mental and physical well being. Prevention incorporates ways to learn coping strategies of various stressors they face in their day to day life.
It also includes being aware of and understanding the early warning signs and symptoms of mental illness and to take remedial help and expert guidance at the earliest.
Parents and teachers can be instrumental in helping build various life skills in their children and adolescents so as to help them cope well with everyday life challenges they may face at home and at school. The need is to empower the children to cope with these challenges adaptively and not for parents to solve their problems for them.
Sometimes parents readily solve the problems of their children thereby making them more dependent and soft targets to stress and its hazards, instead of empowering them to be self-dependent and confident. Parental education and psychosocial support in schools and other community settings is a remedial measure which should be taken up at a war footing.
Training of the parents, school staff and health workers to enable them to detect and manage mental health disorders in children at the earliest and provide remedial medical and expert help should be strengthened, improved and expanded.
Investment by Governments and the involvement of the NGOs and other social, health and education sectors in complete comprehensive, integrated, evidence-based programmes for the mental health of young people is essential.
We should be able to reach every school, every child and teach them how to be stress free and happy.NGOs can help the Government raise awareness among adolescents and young adults and teach them ways to look after their mental health. They can also teach peers, parents and teachers how to support their friends, children and students.
The need is to be aware that this is a big concern today and also to provide help at the right place, at the right time, by the right people. This was the focus for this year’s World Mental Health Day.
(The author is a neuro psychologist and CBSE designated counsellor)