How to deal with depression among youth?
Close to 15 million individuals are battling with some form of mental health related illness in India. 10% of all children suffer from some form of mental health issue and more than 50% of these go untreated and many more undetected (Medindia, 2010)
There is no doubt that depression one of the most common mental health related illnesses. The past few years have witnessed an unprecedented increase in the prevalence of depression across various age groups and other demographic sections of the population, including children, pre-teens and adolescents as well.
Understanding Depression in the Youth
The manifestations of the symptoms of depression in children and adolescents can be very different from that observed in adults. As a characteristic of their developmental phase, they may end up keeping their emotional struggle to themselves. As a consequence, they may end up becoming irritable or angry, display a social withdrawal, have a consequent decline in academic performance, and indulge in aggressive or risk taking behavior,, along with an increase in somatic complaints like headaches and stomach aches.
Facts and Figures
The existing statistics indicate a growing prevalence of mental illnesses, especially amongst the children and adolescents. Close to 15 million individuals are battling with some form of mental health related illness in India. 10% of all children suffer from some form of mental health issue and more than 50% of these go untreated and many more undetected (Medindia, 2010). Specifically depression is found in people of all ages including children and adolescents with prevalence rates estimated to be 1% in the younger population (Kaplan and Saddock, 2007). According to the WHO, depression affects 121 million people worldwide (2011).
It is extremely common for pre-teens and teenagers to experience difficult emotions such as loneliness or extremely stressful situations which could have an adverse impact on their self-esteem and self-concept. Considering the physical and emotional changes that occur in the emerging years of adolescence, it is natural for these emotions and feelings to be experienced very intensely, thereby making such a population also susceptible to ramifications in terms of their mental health.
In addition, the lifestyle adopted by today’s youth is an additional factor to be kept in mind! Such unhealthy lifestyle choices as well as erratic routines further influences both their physical as well as mental health in the long-term, influencing their personal, social, academic as well as occupational functioning.
The following are some of the points which could be kept in mind when helping pre-teens and teens in dealing with depression:
1. Provide them with a strong system of social support. Such social support could include family, friends, peers, teachers, or even seniors. Building an effective support system is very important to help the pre-teens alleviate their emotional distress as well as improve their social and psychological well-being.
2. Be calm and supportive. As a parent or a guardian, as stressful as it might be, it is important for you not to get anxious or distressed. Be calm, and provide your support by
being there for the child. Provide support, be empathetic and a listening ear, genuinely. Give him or her a chance to express him/herself. Do not interrogate or form judgements.
3. Assess the risks. Especially in cases of severe depression, it is vital for the family, friends or caregivers to be on the alert for signs of suicidal ideation. All dangerous items that are potentially harmful including sharp objects, pills, and poisonous substances need to be removed from the reach of the teenager.
4. Encourage them to reach out for help. Do not discourage them to seek help. It is important to encourage the depressed person to seek the support of mental health experts to ensure adequate interventions and prevent adverse outcomes.
5. Remember that professional help is irreplaceable. Depression is a diagnosable and treatable illness. It is not caused due to a character weakness or laziness, which can be overcome by will-power, or can pass out over time. It is an illness with requires adequate and timely medical and psychological interventions. Professional help including psychiatric medications and psychological counselling is irreplaceable.
6. Let’s talk! We should not hesitate to initiate the conversation with the affected children, pre-teens or teenagers, as it is important to give a chance to express their feelings and release their pent-up emotions. It is the need of the hour to encourage widespread awareness about such issues, while maintaining a sensitivity as well as openness to talk about it.
(The author is is a Consultant Psychiatrist with Fortis Healthcare)
Source: Hindustan Times, 7/08/2019
