Watch your kids

Even as a recent spate of suicide cases among high school students in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan has hit media headlines across the country, experts working in the field of adolescent mental health have said that parents have a big role to play in creating conditions which prevent grown-up children from developing suicidal tendencies. While all the recent cases have been reported from urban areas, experts have also pointed out that there could be a connection between such self-harming tendencies and urban, high-pressure environments and rising distress. Experts have also opined that mental health issues like depression and anxiety among adolescents are rising across the globe, and India is no exception. While many parents and teachers misinterpret the symptoms as ‘laziness’ or ‘disinterest’, the fact remains that a sizable section of young adults are living in distress triggered by various factors. Media reports quoting a leading Delhi-based psychiatrist have said that there are certain early warning signs which parents and teachers should watch for. These include emotional and behavioural signs such as withdrawal from family, friends, or activities once enjoyed; excessive worry, irritability, anger, or frequent crying; and sudden personality changes. In India, both parents and teachers often fail to understand that childhood and adolescence are two critical developmental stages for mental health and that the environment in which children grow has a significant impact on their well-being and growth. While gender, age, socio-economic status, academic environment and family environment influence the prevalence of mental health problems among adolescents, increased social media use, lack of physical activities, and substance use also affect growing children in a big way.