Mental Health in India: Pathfinder's Initiative Towards A Better Future

“This Too Shall Pass” An Initiative Towards A Better Mental Health- Pathfinder

Nov 30 2023 | by Author Pathfinder

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Mental Health is a topic that gets thrown around a lot. But in reality, the actual discussion of the topic lacks depth. The fear of judgement, lack of understanding and the long-running stigma are some of the main issues. Moreover, these problems never get any real attention.

Pathfinder wants to take a strong stand on the issue. We want every child, teenager, and young adult to understand that they are not alone. Thus, Pathfinder has opened its door to all those who are suffering in silence. We want to talk, understand, and possibly find solutions.

Yes, Pathfinder knows that it is easier to say than do. But we also believe that the call for action is now! The future of this country and state depends on the steps we take today. Moreover, Ms Madhuparna Sreemany, Psychologist and CEO of Pathfinder, strongly believes that one’s achievements mean nothing if they are not happy.

Before talking about the Pathfinder’s initiative. First, you need to know exactly how frightening the situation is.

Fierceness of the Mental Health Situation

According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) community-based epidemiological study, the prevalence of mental disorders in adults ranges from 12.2% to 48.6% during their lifetimes and 8.4% to 29.1% over 12 months. Mental, neurological, and substance use or MNS disorders are responsible for 14% of the worldwide illness burden. Furthermore, in addition to causing great misery, mental diseases significantly increase the nation’s financial burden. Furthermore, the WHO research found only nine mental health professionals per 100,000 people on average worldwide are available. Even though awareness is increasing, a little over two-thirds of people with recognised mental illnesses never seek medical help.

Four out of ten people in the world’s population will experience a mental illness at some point in their lives, according to the research. Mental and drug use disorders caused 183.9 million DALYs (Disability-adjusted life year) in the world in 2010, making up 74% of all DALYs.

Various Types of Mental Health Issues

The rising of cases of Body Dysmorphic Disorder or BDD, where the tendency is to compare oneself to others on the internet like models, film stars or social media influencers, idealise other people’s physiques and try to emulate them by following a tight diet and overexercising. This further contributes to worsening mental health in youngsters. According to a recent meta-analysis, BDD patients were four times more likely to have suicidal ideation and 2.6 times more likely to attempt suicide than persons without BDD.

Conduct disorder (CD) is an antisocial, violent, or defiant behaviour that repeats and persists. The CD was found to be prevalent in 5.48% of primary school children. Male prevalence was found to be greater (66.67%) than female prevalence (33.33%).

Gender dysphoria is a state of discomfort or difficulty experienced by people whose gender identity differs from their sex at birth or sex-related bodily traits. On the other hand, according to the article by Skooc, studies by licenced therapists across the country showed that Eating Disorders impact an estimated 2-3% of the Indian population, with women being more affected.

There are even more mental disorders that surpass the scope of this article. With the ever-changing lifestyle, increasing financial insecurity and extreme competitiveness result in severe depression and suicides.

Increasing Suicide Cases in India

According to the research, after traffic accidents, suicide is the second most common cause of death for both sexes of young people aged between 15 to 29. In this age range, suicide fatalities outnumbered deaths from interpersonal violence.

In the Coaching industry, the added pressure from uphill competition has contributed to increased suicide cases. According to the article by Frontline, 23 students committed suicide in Kota this year. About 15 students in 2022, one in 2021, four in 2020, eight in 2019, 12 in 2018, and ten in 2017. Many of these cases are under police investigation or the reason for the suicide is vague. The number of suicides has increased by 60% since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scenario of Mental Health in India

In 2017, mental diseases were the sixth most prevalent cause of DALYs and the second most common cause of years lived with disability or YLDs in our country.

95% of the country’s population, or 197.3 million people, in India in 2017 had a mental illness, making up 14.3% of the entire population. In India, mental illnesses caused 4.7% of all DALYs in 2017, up from 2.5% in 1990. About 45.7 million people in India suffer from depression. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, and Telangana had the highest prevalence of depressive disorders in the high socio-demographic index (SDI) state group, followed by Andhra Pradesh in the intermediate SDI state group and Odisha in the low SDI state group.

Statistics of Mental Health in India

According to the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2015-16, India’s mental morbidity rate for people over the age of 18 is now 10.6%, excluding tobacco-related disorders.

In 2015, the suicide rate in India was 15.7/100,000, which was higher than the regional average of 12.9 and the global average of 10.6. Suicide is the main cause of death among Indians aging between 15 to 29.

According to the research by Priya Bhakat and Kakoli. Approximately 75% of the students experienced moderate to severe depression, with the remaining 25% reporting minimal to light depression. Almost half of the respondents (49.6%) had a moderate anxiety disorder, followed by light (30.3%) and minimal (10.2%) anxiety disorders, while about 10% had a severe anxiety disorder. There is a wide variance in perceived stress levels among students, with 13.8% having high felt stress and 38.5% and 47.4% having low perceived stress and moderate perceived stress, respectively.

Combating the Worsening Mental Health Situation in India

In the past, the National Mental Health Program (NMHP) was established in 1981. Later, The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bangalore piloted the study of integrating mental health and community development in Bellary, Karnataka, through district mental health training programmes. Similar efforts have been made in Goa, West Bengal, and Rajasthan. Over 15% of Indian adults require active treatment for one or more mental health conditions, and mental health issues are a major concern for teenagers. Thus, in 2014, India modified the National Mental Health Policy and drafted the National Health Policy for 2015. As a result, India was one of the world’s first rising economies to enact an NMHP. In 2017, a new Mental Healthcare Act was adopted by India.

According to the research by Abhilasha Dhyani, Abhay Gaidhane, Sonali G Choudhari, Sarvesh Dave, and Swecha Choudhary). A diagram of the components of mental health literacy is below:

**A diagram of the components of mental health literacy is given**

According to the research by Kalpana Srivastava, Kaushik Chatterjee, and Pookala Shivaram Bhat. The majority of the awareness contributions are expected to come from the six platforms listed below:

Based on one study, mental health literacy among adolescents is quite low, with 29.04% identifying depression and 1.31% recognising schizophrenia/psychosis. A stigma is there in those requesting assistance. On the other hand, most chronic and debilitating mental diseases manifest themselves before the age of 24, when the majority of people enter the school system. From adding mental health narratives in curricula to de-stigmatization, discriminatory removal, and early detection, to empowering stakeholders for early detection and simple interventions, the educational system has numerous chances for increasing mental health awareness.

What Pathfinder is Doing to Combat Mental Health Issues?

Under the leadership of the CEO of Pathfinder, Ms Madhuparna Sreemany (Psychologist), the initiative ‘This Too Shall Pass’ is taking shape. Pathfinder for the longest time has been providing therapy to the students. We have an in-house therapist who on a regular basis looks after students who are having issues with mental health. Our Academic Coordinators take care of the student’s academic needs but also the mental support they require is given. Pathfinder in the past and in the present is considered a safe haven for the students because of how we take individual care of each of them. By splitting batches into smaller groups, a student does not feel the pressure from excessive competitiveness in a classroom environment. Moreover, our faculty are always caring for the students, listening to them, and solving their issues.

Moreover, Pathfinder organises webinars and Seminars on Mental Health where we talk to the parents about the importance of therapy and even find solutions to their issues. Plus, we approach various schools to promote Mental Health welfare and de-stigmatisation among students. Furthermore, we conduct Psychometric tests, do regular check-ups of our students, and provide various mentorship programmes for the betterment of students’ mental condition.

Aim at a Better Future

For Pathfinder, every student is not only a student but a child who needs care, grooming and healthy development. We at Pathfinder believe and aim to be the Academic parent who always stands by their students no matter what. But with the #Aparajit movement, we do not want to limit that care to only our students. Therefore, we have opened our doors to every child, teenager, and young adult who is suffering in silence. We are here to listen to you, so start a conversation and feel free to share your problem. If possible, let us guide you, because like every storm, THIS TOO SHALL PASS.

Bibliography

Oza,H.,(2021). An Empirical Study on the causes of Body Dysmorphic Disorder or BDD and Fatphobia and their adverse effects on Mental Health of people in India.IJERT.,Vol10(12) (December 2021),36-39.doi:10.17577/IJERTV10IS120034

Bhakat,P.,Das,K.,(2023). Status of mental health among college and university students during first and second wave of COVID-19 outbreak in India: A cross-sectional study.J Affect Disord Rep., 12(100494)2-18.doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2023.100494

Dhyani,A.,Gaidhane,A.,Choudhari,S.,Dave,S.,&Choudhary,S(2022).Strengthening Response Toward Promoting Mental Health in India: A Narrative Review.Cureus,14(10)2-8.doi:10.7759/cureus.30435

Srivastava,K.,Chatterjee,K.,&Bhat,PS(2016).Mental health awareness:The Indian scenario.Ind Psychiatry J.,25(2)1-5.doi:10.4103/ipj.ipj_45_17

Status of mental health among college and university students during first and second wave of COVID-19 outbreak in India: A cross-sectional study – PMC (nih.gov)

Strengthening Response Toward Promoting Mental Health in India: A Narrative Review – PubMed (nih.gov)

Mental health awareness: The Indian scenario – PMC (nih.gov)

https://www.skooc.com/blog/eating-disorder-awareness-week-in-india-2023#:~:text=Prevalence%20of%20Eating%20Disorders%20in%20India&text=Apart%20from%20these%20surveys%2C%20studies,a%20higher%20incidence%20among%20women.

https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/education/spotlight-tragedy-in-kota-india-coaching-capital-rising-student-suicides-points-to-exam-stress-parental-pressure/article67259247.ece#:~:text=As%20many%20as%2023%20students,stress%20over%20low%20test%20scores.