The COVID-19 pandemic has created a global crisis for mental health. Whilst the pandemic has and continues to take its toll on our mental health. October 10 has been marked as World Mental Health day by the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide an opportunity to re-kindle efforts to protect and improve mental health.
According to the UNICEF report only 41 per cent of Indian youth believes in seeking help in mental health problems while in other countries there is 83 per cent of such youth. The report further revealed that one in seven youths aged between 15 to 24 years in India remain depressed. Another report by WHO highlighted that 2,443 people in every 10,000 people in India are suffering from mental illness.
“This World Mental Health Day, let’s encourage those living with mental health problems to reach out and seek help”, tweeted Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW).
Dr. Satyakant Trivedi, a member of the Suicide Prevention Task Force explains the unusual Indian environment. Since the tendency to seek help in difficult times in India has been found to be very low, it has become a cause of concern.