Published on October 7, 2022
57% of the queries are from people in the age group of 25 – 34
Chennai : According to WHO, the economic loss due to mental health conditions, between 2012-2030, is estimated to be USD 1.03 trillion globally. And a National Mental Health Survey found that close to 14% of India’s population required active mental health interventions. But Indians today are more aware of mental health issues and are actively seeking help to address it.
Practo, India’s leading integrated healthcare company, has witnessed a steady increase in in-person consultations (Fig. 1 below) for mental health with a 44% increase YoY. And a majority of these consultations are from people in the age group of 25 – 34 constituting 57% of the total consultations in the last year. And from these, 61% were from males & 39% were from females.
A further deep-dive into Practo insights also revealed that the second wave of Covid had impacted Indians tremendously which is indicated by a steep spike of 95% in online-consultations for mental health (Fig. 2 below).
*(Time-period: Oct 2021 – Sept 2022)
Eating disorder
PTSD:
Commenting on the insights, Dr. Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Healthcare Strategy Officer, Practo, said, ”While the incidence of mental health issues in the country is increasing, the silver lining is that people are recognizing the importance of keeping the mind healthy and seeking help. While this is encouraging to see, privacy and anonymity are crucial when it comes to mental health and online consultations have played an important role in accessing expert help with complete privacy.”
Dr Harish Shetty Psychiatrist, Dr L H Hiranandani hospital who also consults on Practo, said, “Globalization and today’s fast-paced life has had adverse effects on mental well-being. So much so that one in seven Indians are mentally ill. While there is a heightened awareness among young adults in the country, families with low awareness about mental health still act as speed breakers which can only be deflected through education. Because early identification of mental illness will help reduce the adverse impact. Additionally, an increase in the Emotional Contact Time (ECT) and Family Contact Time (FCT) among communities can also help.”