1 in 6 rural teens under severe stress, AIIMS-linked study flags silent mental health crisis

New Delhi ( Pallavi Srivastava) : One in six adolescents in rural north India reported facing a major stressful event within just six months, with acedemic pressure, poverty, bullying , domestic violence and family conflict emerging as major triggers behind depression, anxiety, and sucidial thoughts among teenagers according to an AIIMS - linked study that warns of a widening but largely invisible mental health crisis among Indian adolescents.

The study published in the Indian journal of community medicine is based on interviews with 583 adolescents across 28 villages in haryana and paints a disturbing picture of emotional distress , untreated mental illness and silent suffering among teenagers.

Researchers said many adolescents accepted sadness , hopelessness and sucidial thoughts as part of life because they did not even know professional mental healthcare was available.