New Delhi: A study by healthcare platform Practo has found that, among women, those aged below 35 make up the largest group seeking help with mental health. According to the study, there has also been a 23 per cent rise in total consultations by women in 2022 compared to the previous year.
The fastest-growing specialties sought by women were oncology (registering a year-on-year or YoY increase of 96 per cent) and mental health (66 per cent).
The study, released Thursday, collected data from 78,000 women users in the country ahead of International Women’s Day (8 March).
The five specialties most consulted by women in 2022 were gynaecology (16 per cent of consultations), dermatology (10 per cent), general physician (8 per cent), and dentist and paediatrician (5 per cent each).
An age-wise break-up of mental health consultations by women shows that 61.6 per cent were aged 25-34.
Those in the 35-44 age group formed 16.5 per cent of female mental health help-seekers while 16.3 per cent were aged 18-24. The remaining 5.6 per cent were women aged 45 and older.
The “most discussed concerns” were withdrawal symptoms, suicidal behaviour, stress, panic, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorder, drug abuse, and alcohol addiction.
Likewise, the most oncology consultations, at 63.7 per cent, were by women in the 25-34 age group. Next were the women aged 35-44 (27 per cent), and the 18-24 age group (5.3 per cent).
Speaking about the rise in mental health consultations among women, Dr Alexander Kuruvilla, chief healthcare strategy officer at Practo, said in a statement, “In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of younger women seeking mental health support and this trend warrants attention and action.”
He said there were multiple factors responsible for the trend, such as “increasing awareness and de-stigmatisation of mental health concerns, the impact of social media on mental health, and the unique stressors and challenges faced by younger generations”.
He added, “As a community, we have to recognise this and provide support and foster overall wellbeing.”
In this change, said clinical psychologist Dr Rajiv Nandy, “acceptance and awareness have been the most fundamental driving force”.
Women were more educated, and “are in positions of power, they know how to exercise their rights, they know when and how to assert themselves and they definitely have the ability to recognise when something is not right and seek help”, added Nandy, chairman of Shristi Child Development & Learning Institute.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
Also read: Victim or criminal? How law finds itself in knots when a battered woman kills her abuser