KOCHI: Search 'mental health issues among youngsters' on Google and you will come across hundreds of articles detailing scholarly research and blog posts narrating personal stories that paint a grim picture of the situation. A recent study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology shows the proportion of individuals suffering from adverse psychological distress has grown 52 per cent in teens and 63 per cent among young adults over the past decade in the US.
Closer home, the situation is not much different. While India has the largest youth population in the world, the number of people under the grip of depression is equally proportional. According to the data released by the Department of Psychiatry at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences last year, depression figures in the country have risen rapidly in the last 10 years with 50 per cent of the youth affected under the age of 14 and 75 per cent under 25.
“The fact of the matter is that the young generation now has really poor frustration tolerance because we have made them ill-equipped to handle the challenges posed by the fast-paced, technologically advanced world of today. The exponential rise in the use of smartphones and thereby social media is proving to be detrimental. Depression among youngsters has become so common that I encounter a case or two every day,” says Dr John C J, a prominent psychiatrist and senior consultant at Medical Trust Hospital.
Research points to how in-person real-time conversations being taken over by the virtual space lead to a sense of disorientation and loneliness among teens and young adults. "It was in the second year of my college that I realised I was depressed, I had been feeling dejected much before. Moving to the city after school, leaving behind my friends and family took a toll on me. I also lost a friend around the same time and it acted as a catalyst to worsen my mental state.
Getting out of bed and going to college seemed like too much effort so I stopped attending classes. I did not have the inclination to talk to anyone or go out with friends but looking at their pictures hanging out together on Instagram made me feel unwanted and lonely. This was the lowest point of my life. After graduating college, I decided to take a year off and seek medical help," says Saumya (name changed), a student from Thrissur who is currently pursuing her MA from St Teresa's College.
“The acceptance to seek help is comparatively higher among the younger group, there is an expressive need to share their distress. Unlike the older generation, the young don’t consider it as a stigma. However, the probability of discontinuing therapy or treatment is also more," points Dr John.Saumya underscores the importance of seeking medical help and being consistent.
"I didn't want to waste precious years of my like feeling hopeless. I am in a much better place right now emotionally, counselling helped me a great deal," she adds. There are many misconceptions about taking anti-depressants but not everyone is prescribed pills. "Counselling therapy suffices in most cases, only people suffering from major depressive disorder need medication. The drugs in the market today are advanced enough to cause fewer side effects," observes Dr John.