– Kiran Balimane

Social stigma and misconceptions about mental health prevent many parents and teenage children from soliciting professional advice

Adolescence is a development phase marked by rapid physical, psychological, and emotional changes. During these years, teens experience mood swings, emotional turbulence, and heightened sensitivity to peer and parental pressure. While these challenges are normative, sometimes they trigger anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and in extreme cases, suicide.

The World Health Organization estimates that 10-20 percent of adolescents globally suffer mental health problems. According to the latest National Mental Health Survey of India, nearly 7.3 percent of adolescents suffer diagnosable mental health conditions, but only a fraction receive professional treatment. That’s because social stigma and misconceptions about mental health dissuade many parents and teens from soliciting professional advice. Add to this lack of awareness and knowledge of parents about ways and means to support teenage children’s mental well-being.

“In India, mental health is a taboo subject because it’s associated with social shame and stigma. Many parents fear that acknowledging that their teenage child is suffering anxiety or depression is admission that their child is ‘weak’. This mindset needs to change. Parents must understand that mental health problems are not a sign of weakness but a normal part of human experience, especially during adolescence. Recognising and addressing these challenges early enables adolescents to develop resilience, emotional balance, as also ability to seek professional help without fear or guilt,” says Reena Chopra, a Bhubaneswar-based psychologist and founder of Saar Holistic Wellness.

Chopra believes that schools and colleges have an important duty to break social taboos surrounding adolescent mental health by organising workshops on stress management, coping with peer pressure, and exam anxiety. “Exam-related stress and performance anxiety, peer pressure and social media influence are some of the major causes of adolescents’ mental health problems. Workshops can teach simple coping techniques such as breathing exercises and role-play activities to de-stress students and make them feel more confident and less lonely. They also encourage peer support and comradeship,” she adds.

Mental health support

The Central government, NGOs and several other education organisations have taken important steps to provide accessible mental health care to adolescents. Among them:

• Tele-MANAS (14416 or 1800-891-4416): A nationwide 24×7 mental health helpline providing free counselling and crisis support.
• KIRAN Helpline (1800-599-0019): A toll-free helpline of the Union ministry of social justice & empowerment offers guidance and mental health support.
• School counselling frameworks. National exam boards, CISCE, CBSE and several state boards have mandated counsellors inside affiliated schools.
• Online counselling platforms. Several government-supported online platforms provide professional counseling services.
• Parental support. “The most important support adolescent children need is from parents. Parents readily teach children to solve equations and write essays, but how often do they teach them how to deal with heartbreak, failure, or fear? As parents, we must prioritize mental health literacy as much as academic excellence. Parents need to make the effort to attend workshops and enhance their knowledge about mental health issues, and most important, seek professional advice if their children are suffering mental health problems,” says Chopra.