17-05-2025
Mental health guardrails for the young
From exam pressure to screen addiction, economic strain to social isolation—India's next generation faces an invisible epidemic that demands urgent, holistic action
Express Illustration
Opinions
Mental health guardrails for the young
Higher competition and fewer opportunities are stressing out India's youth in unprecedented ways. Parents and teachers must help them navigate through such anxiety. Youngsters need more real-life mentors, not internet influencers
Geetha Ravichandran
Economic Survey 2024 focused for the first time on the loss of productivity due to mental health issues in India. It is estimated that 10.6 percent adults in India are afflicted by mental disorders. There is also a shortage of trained specialists, with only 0.75 psychiatrists available for every 100,000 Indians. The problem is more pronounced in rural areas. According to the WHO, the country's economic losses due to mental health concerns would amount $1.03 trillion for 2012-2030.
At such a time, the number of younger Indians facing mental health issues is on the rise. This can impact academic performance, social behaviour and induce a proclivity for addiction among students. William Wordsworth had written: 'To be young was very heaven.' The youth today would find it difficult to relate to such lines and would consider it far removed from the reality of the challenges faced by them.
The brutality of competition in higher education and the difficulties in finding suitable jobs only exacerbates stress levels and anxiety. Many students who are meritorious find that the dice is loaded against them due to the selection process. The results of the civil services exam declared recently saw a success rate of a mere 0.2 percent.
While exam reform will hopefully happen soon, the harsh realities of hyper-competition devolves on the youth, who are unsuccessful despite their abilities and hard work. The crackdown in the US on visas for higher education is factor adding to the uncertainty of many Indian students. To move on from disappointing results requires resilience and grit, and professional counselling and guidance will help the process.
The alarming drug crisis in Kerala has seen educational institutions emerge as epicentres. The root of the malaise is socio-economic and an issue for law enforcement to deal with. But mental vulnerabilities of youngsters, which are aggravated by the lack of opportunities, is a major contributory factor. The need to escape from circumstances that are difficult to cope with, peer pressure and with the inability to evaluate the damage to physical and mental health results in youth succumbing to addiction. This triggers a cycle of distress for the family and society. Perhaps the failure of the educational system to inculcate the importance of mental hygiene and self-care is one of the reasons for young lives spiralling down a self- destructive path.
The role of social media on mental health has been widely documented. Australia has enacted a law banning its use by those under sixteen. In India, parents and educators have raised red flags regarding cyber bullying, exposure to pornography, screen addiction and displacement of real-life interactions among teens due to excessive social media engagement. Youngsters adopt a digital persona which determines their interactions and gives them a dopamine fix based on the likes their posts attract.
But the potential damage to minds due to unhealthy comparisons, isolation and dissociation from reality has disastrous consequences. The recent Netflix series Adolescence has spurred conversations on how intense online engagement can be damaging for teens, with no warning signs before the big explosion.
There are no easy solutions to tackling the scourge of mental illness. The taxonomy of mental health triggers is widening, with more aspects of deviant behaviour and causative factors being included. This is due to better understanding and an openness to discuss problems. However, it is also important that every emotion of sadness or disappointment, that maybe a legitimate response to an event, should not be labelled as depression.
The widespread prescription of 'happy pills' to American schoolchildren largely benefitted the pharma industry. Patients are known to benefit from holistic therapies without medication as well. This requires time, effort and qualified practitioners. The primary responsibility for equipping children to handle stressors that affect mental well-being is that of the family. Inculcating discipline, respect and compassion for oneself and others begins at home.
Schools also have a significant role to play. Many schools today have a counsellor who is available to children facing mental distress. What is even more important is that a mental health curriculum is mainstreamed in the educational system. Teaching children to identify aggression, body- or caste-shaming, colourism, sexual exploitation and the ability to be assertive could nip the problem in the bud.
It is important that youngsters neither perpetrate nor become victims of aggressive or anti-social behaviour. Schools delivering well-being programmes would have a greater reach and increase mental health literacy among students and parents. Access to therapy and counselling would help rehabilitation, prevent isolation and foster support for those in need. Preventive mental healthcare is the way forward.
The draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 released by the Indian government seeks parental consent for processing personal data of minors to protect them from exploitation. Instagram provides for parental supervision of teen accounts. While age-gating is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done. Restriction of screen time using built- in technological solutions, should be examined. Biohacks—proper diet, exercise, sleep, outdoor exposure and building healthy, non-digital, interpersonal relationships—can contribute to resilient mental health.
Young minds are today born into a world where technology dazzles. The need is for them to have real-life mentors and role models, and not social media influencers, to help navigate the complexity with awareness and assurance.
Geetha Ravichandran
Former bureaucrat and author, most recently of The Spell of the Rain Tree
