Himachal bets on dedicated centre, more counsellors to rid youth of mental health issues

A significant 6.9% of the state’s youth are battling depression, the state health commission’s study aimed to encourage conversations on mental health has found.
The Adolescent and Youth Health Survey Himachal Pradesh, jointly conducted by the Centre for Public Health Department of Epidemiology, NIMHANS, Bangalore, in collaboration with National Health Mission, Himachal Pradesh, found that 15.54% of the state’s youth are excessively anxious.
The findings holds significance as they come amid the state’s push to tackle the deteriorating mental health, especially among the youth. The government had earlier announced strict implementation of the mental health policy among other ideas including setting up a dedicated centre for mental health and getting more mental health professionals on board.
Focussed on the youth, the cross-sectional survey covered the 10-24 years demographic.
The eligible individuals, 2,895 in total with equal number of men and women, were selected using a stratified multistage clustered survey.
Addressing the significance of choosing the key demographic, health services director Gopal Berry, who pushed for more fresh studies, said, “Adolescents and youth (with approximately 35% of the total population of India) form the most critical and resourceful population in India and its states. Their health and development is vital, since, it is an important phase of an individual’s life in terms of being formative in terms of biological, psychological, social and sexual maturation to become adults.”
At 44.39%, being underweight was the biggest issue affecting the youth, 19.2% had a mobile dependency, 15.54% suffered from anxiety, 14.72% sustained injuries and 8.19% had indulged in violence.
The health problems vary according to the problem or the health-impacting behaviour, with nearly 4% having suicidal ideations and more than 40% having nutrition-related problems in the state. The survey comes with the disclaimer of it being a very conservative estimate based on the data collected during the study.
Speaking about the findings, Indira Gandhi Medical College psychiatry department head Dinesh Sharma said, “Youth is a period of exploration, curiosity and adventure. It is known that health problems during adolescence and youth are critical and need to be addressed for their appropriate growth and development. Youth health problems have largely been neglected in routine health care delivery.”
Looking to actively tackle the issue, the state health department has also mooted the proposal to set up a Center of Excellence for Mental Health wellness at Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda.
Legislators including Fatehpur MLA Bhawani Singh Pathania had also batted for creating infrastructure to tackle the issue, saying, “The youth are suffering from the disease more because there is a lot of pressure on them,” he said, while calling to do away with the social stigma attached to mental health.
State health minister Dhani Ram Shandil, meanwhile, had announced the government’s decision to appoint psychiatrists and counsellors at all 69 model health institutions of the state. He also ensured intensified efforts to tackle the drug menace, saying the state will have more de-addiction centres to help the youth.