India needs youth mental health focus to strike demographic gold Premium

India's adolescent population holds promise of economic prosperity, but mental health needs more attention. Government policies have not addressed mental health needs adequately. Poverty, childhood adversity, and violence are risk factors for mental health disorders. Solutions include a multi-sector approach, better education, and improved school environments.

India is a country teeming with more than 1.4 billion people, and is in the throes of a demographic transformation. Its adolescent population, aged 10-19 years, accounts for a substantial portion of the national total, some 253 million. This demographic segment is a significant part of what economists and demographers have come to call the ‘demographic dividend’.

These young minds hold the promise of economic prosperity and development – but few also acknowledge that this potential actually hinges on these young men’s and women’s physical as well as mental well-being.

Youth mental health out of focus

Adolescent health and well-being have become important in public health discourses worldwide. Acknowledging the adolescent cohort’s pivotal role in society, the governments of both the States and the nation have introduced numerous policies and programmes to protect and respond to the health-wise needs of these young individuals. However, a closer look reveals that mental health does not figure as predominantly as warranted in many of these policies.

Adolescence is a time of profound transformation. It marks the transition from childhood to adulthood, and is laden with challenges – including those related to the perception of one’s body and body image issues. Society’s expectations regarding the ‘ideal’ behaviour and body types can significantly affect physical and mental health. The weight of academic expectations, peer pressure, and concerns about the future also take a toll on mental health at this time.

The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) is a Government of India policy that deals exclusively with adolescent health. It was rolled out on January 7, 2014. But despite having been in operation for nearly a decade, the mental health strategies under this policy have been implemented painfully slowly.

Under the purview of the National Health Mission, State governments were responsible for implementing the RKSK policy – including setting up ‘Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics’ as part of its facility-based strategies.