BENGALURU: A study across 12,000 school students in the city found one in six have mental health difficulties that could lead to serious disorders if left untreated. Data was collected using a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) across 18 schools in Bengaluru. Results revealed children and adolescents face issues in five categories: Emotion, conduct, hyperactivity, peer relations and pro-social behaviour. The survey was conducted by AddressHealth, a school health services provider, from June to August.
“As many as 16.7 per cent of primary, middle and high school students surveyed suffered difficulties that could lead to anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, conduct disorders, depression, etc. In this survey, 12 to 15 per cent high school students were found suffering from emotional and social skill issues, while eight to 10 per cent primary school kids suffered conduct and hyperactivity issues,” said Dr Anand Lakshman, founder of AddressHealth.
Government and private schools following CBSE, ICSE and Karnataka state syllabus were part of this exercise. Teachers and parents filled out questionnaires about students’ behaviour.
“Conduct issues such as bullying, not listening to the teacher, aloofness, were factors noticed more by teachers than parents. This is a screening tool and not a diagnostic one. It helped us identify who is more prone to risk. For instance, contemplation of suicide among adolescents warrants seeking treatment, which we provided later through group therapy,” Lakshman added.
The causes included imbalance of neurochemicals in the brain, social and environmental stressors such as pressure to perform, hyper-competitive nature, overexposure to information on the internet (for example, blue whale challenge being seen as a solution to solve one’s problems), nutritional aspects such as high sugar content in food eaten by hyperactive kids, need for instant gratification in terms of likes and approval on social media, etc.
“Most issues stem from childhood. It is a known fact that only 12 to 15 per cent adults seek help. Most do not take treatment due to stigma, so adults pass on their anxieties and stressors to their kids. Depression is used as a bad word. The brain is more susceptible to change when the child is young,” a public health expert said, further adding, “Late treatment cannot modify the way the brain works, but can only offer coping strategies to adults. We need to accept our children are at risk and intervene early.”