Teenage depression: A serious condition that can affect learning goals

In India, roughly 200 million are estimated to suffer from depression at some point in their lives

Adolescence is a vulnerable developmental stage of life, ripe with mood, anxiety, thought and psychosocial disorders. And, Indian youth is burdened exams, expectations, peer pressure, violence and looming social tensions. Is it any wonder that adolescents fall prey to depression at this impressionable age?

According to a cross-sectional study published in Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, mental health literacy in adolescents at the pre-university stage is abysmally low. Only 29 per cent of those surveyed could identify depression as a medical condition that requires professional intervention. A mere 1.31 per cent could identify schizophrenia or psychosis. This shows that mental health