Q1 Mental health is still Taboo in India.

Due to the stigma associated with it and the lack of

awareness among people, sufferers are reluctant to seek professional help. The sufferer
could be anyone from a child facing academic insult in school, an unemployed graduate
struggling for a job, or an employed person facing difficulty to maintain the work-life balance.
According to the report by World Health Organisation, the Daily Adjusted Life Years (DALY)
due to mental health in India is 2443 disabilities per 10000 and the Age-adjusted suicide rate
per 10000 population is 21.1. The report also states that the economic loss due to mental
health issues between 2021-2030 is estimated to be around USD 1.03 trillion. ( Report link-
https://www.who.int/india/health-topics/mental-health) .One of the Primary reasons for this
condition is the lack of psychiatrists, Psychologists, and social workers. A stats given by
WHO says India (per 100,000 population) has psychiatrists (0.3), nurses (0.12),
psychologists (0.07), and social workers (0.07). In another study in 2015-16, by the National
Mental Health Survey conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and
Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore under the Federal Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, 9.8 million teenagers in the 13-year-old group had mental health issues and
depression.17-year-old suffers from depression and other mental health disorders and
needs 'proactive intervention'. Meanwhile, the Lancet study found that among the leading
causes of death for women aged 15 to 29 in 26 of her 31 states in the United States, and
women aged 15 to 39 in 24 states. Suicide-related deaths were number one. In India,
children with mental health disorders are mostly undiagnosed and hesitant in seeking help or
treatment. Covid-19 also showed a mental impact on the life of people. It ranged from fear of
isolation and being in a hospital ward with many others struggling for life. Grief is one of the
mental impacts on people who lost their close ones during the pandemic. Increased screen
time for both children and adults also impacted mental health. Parental fatigue too impacted
the mental health of children by adding stress. These were some of the underlined issues
hidden beneath the destruction caused by Covid-19. According to the Indian Journal of
Psychiatry in 2019, even before Covid-19, at least 50 million children in India were affected
by mental health issues; 80 – 90 percent were not treated.