Adolescent mental health: pay attention
Some 15 crore people in India are in need of mental health interventions and care, yet mental health is seldom part of the conversation on public priorities. Early intervention is particularly important: globally 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental health disorders, and three-quarters of all mental illnesses emerge by the mid-20s.
Whilst the importance of physical health of adolescents, especially adolescent girls, has been gaining ground in recent years, mental health remains a neglected and often taboo area. Now, a research paper, containing the first-ever attempt to estimate both the costs and benefits of focusing on adolescent mental health in India, reveals considerable advantages to treating this as a serious health problem.