Mind Matters: All about youth and adolescents with mental health disorders

In this latest episode of the special series, ‘Mind Matters: An invitation to wellbeing’, the focus is on mental health, and youth and adolescents.

According to the World Health Organisation globally, 1 in 7 10-to-19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder, accounting for 30 percent 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.

Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15-to-19-year-olds, and yet, these largely remain unrecognised and untreated; even more so in India, where children and youth with mental health disorders are mostly undiagnosed and hesitant in seeking help or treatment.

According to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry in 2019, even before the pandemic, at least 50 million children in India were affected by mental health issues, and out of these, 80 to 90 percent have not sought support.

There is an urgent need to address this because adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults.

In an effort to understand mental health and adolescents, CNBC-TV18 spoke to Dr Trinjhna Khattar, Psychotherapist, IEC; and Subadev Pandian, a law student and a young adult with lived experience of mental health conditions since his teens.