Cases of anxiety, depression and social media addiction have been on the rise among the youth during the Covid pandemic, a private hospital said on Wednesday. Doctors at Apollo Hospital said curbs on outdoor activity since the outbreak of the pandemic have led to issues of irritability, erratic sleep, appetite problems and weight gain becoming more common among youths.
“The number of OPD consultations for young adults have doubled for anxiety, depression, gaming and social media addiction and inability to concentrate and focus on studies,” said Dr Sandeep Vohra, senior consultant, mental health and psychiatry. Therefore, he said, parents are advised to actively engage with their children, talk to them and observe all kind of behavioural changes shown by them.
Doctors compared average number of such cases in 2021 with the corresponding figures in 2019 to reach their conclusion, a spokesperson of the hospital said. With remote learning being the only solution for continuation of studies during the pandemic, the use of internet has increased manifold, their study said.
Further, due to lack of physical activities, various behavioural changes have been observed among school and college-going students. All these factors are contributing to the cultivating of a sedentary lifestyle among young adults, and a feeling of agitation and helplessness among them, it said.
Doctors highlighted the role of certain hormones–endorphins, serotonin, dopamine–released during physical activity, in keeping one happy and even-keeled. They stressed that mental health issues of young adults must be addressed by parents and teachers at the earliest.
If the issues persist still, they should seek professional help, the doctors advised, according to the statement. Adolescence is an evolving stage of life, any disturbance in terms of both physical and mental health at this stage can hamper the future experiences in life, they said.
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