Institutions ought to minimize anxiety instead of worsening it

Let’ not underestimate their role in the well-being of people at large in a complex country like ours

- LEENA SRIVASTAVA

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in every six or seven individuals in the world is living with a mental disorder.

In this, “depressive and anxiety disorders are major contributors to [years lived with disability or YLDs] in all age groups (except 0-5-year-olds)... They are also the second leading cause of YLDs...” The WHO places productivity losses from mental health disorders at over $l trillion per year.

While the awareness of and access to mental health professionals are both abysmally low, especially among lower-income populations, round-the-clock access to social media in a digital world exacerbates any underlying biological mental health vulnerabilities. Counselling around social-media use and consequent feelings of inadequacy can help individuals, but so can the creation of a broader environment of trust. Globally, political and environmental uncertainties—with implications for employment, mobility and a secure future—have been identified as among the many interconnected causes of a growing mental health crisis in Gen Z.