Beating stigma: Adolescents, young adults are now increasingly talking about mental health and seeking help too Premium

Adolescents and young adults are increasingly open to discussing mental health, but there is still a long way to go.

Adolescents and young adults are slowly but gradually shaping conversations about mental health. Unlike in the past, when mental health was rarely discussed and symptoms mostly ignored, psychiatrists are now seeing a shift taking place, with help-seeking behaviour improving gradually. But they point out that there is still a long way to go in recognising and treating mental illnesses early,

Half of all mental disorders in adulthood start by age 18, but most cases are undetected and untreated, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Globally, it is estimated that one in seven among 10-19 year olds experience mental health conditions, accounting for 15% of the global burden of disease in this age group. Depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents, the WHO says.

A number of psychiatrists say that adolescents and young adults are increasingly open to talking about mental health. Venkateswaran R., consultant psychiatrist in Chennai said the perception of mental illness has definitely changed among adolescents and young adults. “Earlier, people used to seek help for major or severe illnesses only, and the concept of prevention had not been there as far as mental health was concerned. Now, with changing perceptions, primary prevention is taking place,” he said.

In children, if development disorders such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, autism and dyslexia are not attended to, it can lead to an increase in stress levels in them, he said, adding: “This could result in children being bullied in schools, academic issues or they can become very sensitive. Over the years, this could lead to chronic stress, making them prone to mental health issues. Now, with better awareness, development disorders are being picked up early in children.”

Elaborating on primary prevention, he said that families are bringing in adolescents and young adults experiencing stress, performance anxiety and those with personality issues, early. “This help seeking behaviour helps in preventing the progression to full blown mental illness in many instances. Commonly-seen mental health issues among adolescents and young adults are depression, personality issues and anxiety,” he said.

Lakshmi Vijayakumar, psychiatrist and founder of SNEHA suicide prevention centre in Chennai, said that there was no doubt that the perception about mental health has changed, with young people much more open and willing to seek help now. “Help-seeking behaviour has increased and young persons are open to recognising the mental health issues in them. At times, the problem, especially in the case of adolescents, is that when they want to seek help, parents fail to recognise their needs, and try to assure them that nothing is wrong. It is important to understand that the majority of mental health problems start during adolescence,” she said.

“We see young people come to us saying they are very depressed, not their usual self, not functioning properly, experiencing weird feelings, self-harming and an inability to concentrate. In fact, the majority of users of our chat services are young people. At least 95% of users are aged 14 to 21 years,” Dr. Vijayakumar added.