UNICEF Report On Mental Health: According to the UNICEF report, 40 percent of children in India could not access digital classrooms during the Corona epidemic. Lack of internet and facilities hindered the education of children, which affected their mental health.
New Delhi: One out of every 7 adolescents in India has depression. But children in India do not think of seeking help for their mental problems. Less than half of children with depression and other mental illnesses feel they need treatment. This information was given by UNICEF today (on Tuesday) in the report released on the mental health of children. The State of the World’s Children 2021- On My Mind was released today.
Survey done on 20 thousand children from 21 countries
In India, 41 percent of children aged 15 to 24 said that they should seek help for mental illness, but in 21 countries, about 83 percent of children appeared to be aware that mental problems should be consulted by an expert. Only Indian teenagers and youth were conscious of asking for the least help to solve mental problems. In other countries, 56 to 95 percent of adolescents and youth agree that mental problems require help.
According to the State of the World’s Children 2021, 14 percent of youth aged 15 to 24 are going through depression. In countries like Japan and Ethiopia, where 1 out of every 10 children has depression, in India, one out of every 7 children is a victim of depression. According to an average of 21 countries, one in five children has depression.
Similarly, one out of every 7 children aged 10 to 19 years across the world has some or the other declared mental problem. That is, through treatment and investigation, he has been found to be mentally ill. According to a 2019 report of the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, even before the corona epidemic in India, about 50 million children had some mental problem and about 90 percent of them did not think of treatment.
On this occasion, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also expressed his concern about mental illnesses. He tweeted, ‘I have felt myself how important it is to talk about mental health. When the second wave came, there was a problem of medicine, oxygen, demand was coming from all over. Due to this I also used to get mental stress. At that time, I used to do cycling, yoga every morning, which used to get relief.
Corona increased mental stress
According to the report of UNICEF, many such difficulties have made it difficult for the children during the Corona period, distance from studies, distance from sports, distance from friends and money stress in the family. UNICEF estimates show that 40 percent of children in India could not access digital classrooms. Lack of facilities and internet has hindered the education of children, which has also affected their mental health.
According to the World Health Organization, India is paying a heavy price for mental illnesses. According to WHO, from 2012 to 2030, the burden of mental illnesses on India can cause a loss of 1 lakh three thousand crores to the country. This estimate has been made by WHO in one of its reports in 2020.
Dr Yasmin Ali said that in this report we have seen that 1 out of 7 children shows mental health issue. It can be deep or it can be minor. If we do not pay proper attention to the children, then it becomes deep. Children also have school stress. If there is stress in the parents in the house, it also affects the children. How people are behaving with them in school and in society also has an effect. There is also a big effect due to Corona. Some have lost their parents, the routine has changed, they all stopped going to school and going to play, it has had its effect.
How to solve mental stress?
The report also concluded that factors such as your genes i.e. inherited from your parents, your experiences and your surroundings i.e. your upbringing, school, relationships, growing up in a violent environment, discrimination, poverty and physical illness are all these. Together they make or break the health of your brain. If you have got an atmosphere of love, you have been able to study in a good school and there is no tension in mutual relationships, then mental problems reduce. World Mental Health Day is on 10 October.
Published on Zee News India:
Source: https://zeenews.india.com/hindi/india/half-of-indias-children-are-mentally-ill-unicef-report-revealed-mental-health-who/1000934