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Growing up in a small town with no access to any resources to understand homosexuality meant questioning everything about me writes Anwesh Pokkuluri one of the petitioners against Section 377 in the book Young Mental Health Simon amp Schuster India by Amrita Tripathi and Meera Haran Alva Also since there werent any role models I spent all my teenage years in confusion helplessness anger and denial but if there was one emotion that was central to all of it it was fear he adds sharing how his experiences coupled with the pressure to be good among other factors amounted to depression and suicidal ideation Pokkuluri isnt aloneAccording to an article cited in the book studies conducted among schoolgoing adolescents in urban India indicate that at least one in five adolescents endure high stress levels in their daily livesThe book is punctuated with affirmative artwork like this one by Adwaita DasWhile the pandemic has shone the light on mental health the emotional wellbeing of children is often ignored Tripathi and Haran Alva help us understand the many dimensions of young mental health especially issues such as depression anxiety stress and bullying and how parents schools and children can talk about itBasics firstKids and young adults often do not have the capacity to identify their feelings and even if they do are deprived of the vocabulary to express the same To address this one needs to first understand what constitutes young mental health It usually concerns the age group of 10 to 24 years mdash spanning adolescence and overlapping with young adulthood The issues that often go unnoticed during this time include selfharm disabilities abuse bullying and body image says Haran Alva a psychotherapist and psychologist adding that it can also be difficult to talk about matters such as sex and relationships grief family issues depression and anxiety The book which is second in Tripathis Mindscape series addresses these subjects through interviews with experts including child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Amit Sen iCall helpline programme coordinator Tanuja Babre among others and firstperson accounts Tripathi the foundereditor of The Health Collective adds that another aspect of young mental that is most often ignored is suicide According to research cited in the book suicide is the leading cause of death for Indians in the age group of 15 to 39 years Based on this fact we decided to also cover the issue through interviews that discuss suicidal ideation along with trigger warnings and thirdparty helplines which is criticalArt focusing on bullying by Bengalurubased cartoonist Solo A new school of thoughtIn one of the sections interviews with Dr Sen highlight the role Indias schooling system plays in affecting kids holistic development Elaborating on this Haran Alva who has worked with schools says Overemphasis on academics and unrealistic expectations brings with it high levels of anxiety stress and depression leading to our children feeling unworthy and thus selfharming themselves In the current context of the pandemic she adds there are new concerns mdash online education and its impact on childrens physical and mental health she shares Drawing from the Fortis School Mental Health Program Dr Samir Parikh and Kamna Chhibber in the book suggest a few approaches that schools can employ Utilising peer influence to promote life skills Mental health advocacy for the youth through them and by training teachers and staff Creating a movement for bullytobuddy Creating resources to seek helpMeera Haran Alva and Amrita TripathiDealing with bullyingIn the book Dr Sen also emphasises on the impact of bullying and peer pressure on childrens psyche Bullying is rampant across cultures across different age groups and sociocultural spaces so its not just in schools though its most common in schools and is one of the central factors to affect mental health in children he writes categorising it into three kinds mdash physical emotional and cyber Referring to an art work by a Bengalurubased artiste who is also featured in the book Tripathi says The distressing part of bullying is the feeling that one is at the other persons mercy I think we all need to be alert to signs of a child being bullied We must learn to talk to them on whats acceptable behaviour and what isntLearn discuss shareBoth authors tell us that the need of the hour is the engagement of all key stakeholders invested in young peoples mental health mdash schools parents medical professionals and of course children The statistics makes it clear that its imperative we learn to address these issues and to do that we must learn more ourselves and how to talk about them Behind the numbers of course are everyday people and families who dont get the support they need So theres a need for systemic change yes but we all need to be part of this movement at an individual level signs off TripathiLog on to amazonin to buy the bookBe mindfulMeera Haran Alva shares dos and donts for parents while dealing with kids and teens who have anxiety Be curious about your childs feelings and ask openended questions Dont preempt your childs fears Encourage their efforts When children talk to their parents about their worst fears having a contingency plan helps them feel less anxiousFor more details refer to Haran Alvas detailed guide for parents in part two of the book which also includes case studiesCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news