A mental health crisis is brewing among Indian youth. Religion can be a lifeline

Sceptics might argue that popping pills is a simpler solution for mental health issues, but there’s growing evidence that the 'opium of the masses' is worth a serious shot.

Illustration for representation by ThePrint team

The United States is undergoing a mental health crisis, signalling a potential storm on the horizon for India as well. In a recent article in The Atlantic, ‘End the Phone-Based Childhood Now’, New York University-based social psychologist Jonathan Haidt details the dire consequences of smartphones and social media on the development of young adults.

The evidence Haidt cites for the US is horrific: between 2010 and 2019, suicide rates for young girls rose by 131 per cent, for all adolescents by 48 per cent, and there was a 50 per cent uptick in depression and anxiety. He traces these worrying trends to the smartphone and social media explosion around 2012. This serves as a stark warning for India about the possibility of encountering a similarly complex crisis.

The latest ‘Mental Health State of the World’ report by the US non-profit Sapien Labs also highlights the negative impact of early smartphone exposure, coupled with the breakdown of family and social bonds, on adolescent mental health. Anecdotally, these trends are now quotidian amongst young urban Indians. Even hard evidence indicates that are there similar dynamics in India that could force us into the mental health pattern of the West.

For instance, India does not maintain official divorce rate data yet reports indicate a rapid rise in the breakdown of family ties. Especially in metropolitan cities, divorce rates may be as high as 30 per cent.

Now consider the data on smartphone ownership and internet penetration in India: close to 800 million users already access the internet, with increasing depth of usage. A 2023 Local Circles survey of 46,000 parents across India found that 61 per cent of children, aged 9-17, spent three hours or more online. The study also linked this use to increased “impatience and aggression, lack of concentration, memory issues, headache, eye and back problems, stress.” In addition, mobile data in India is among the world’s cheapest, with a rapid double-digit annual growth in usage. The country’s demographic dividend — the 600 million youth under the age of 25 — is the most susceptible to these lifestyle changes.

Haidt and other scholars propose several policy measures to combat the impact of these changes. However, in their research there has been a conspicuous omission of one of the most important bulwarks against these technology-induced psychological stressors: religion.

Religion as a bulwark 

Religion and cultural institutions can strike at the core of modern mental health problems. Recent research in the economics of religion underscores the ameliorating role of religion against a gamut of mental health issues. A 2019 paper in the Journal of Political Economy, titled ‘Religion and Depression in Adolescence’, shows that depression among adolescents significantly reduces with increasing religiosity. This research vitally highlights that participation in clubs or sports, or having many friends, cannot substitute the unique beneficial effects of religiosity. The mechanism for the beneficial effects operates through improved self-esteem and better coping skills against depression.

The beneficial role of religion was particularly apparent during the Covid-19 pandemic. A research paper led by the University of Cambridge, which I co-authored, showed that access to religion during the lockdowns significantly improved mental health. We also found that innovative religious services helped soften the blow on mental health during Covid.

Given the onslaught of modern psychological stressors, it is crucial to consider the potential benefits of religion in combating mental health issues. Religious institutions can offer a wide range of solutions, including reinforcing family and community bonds, creating a sense of belonging, and offering safe community spaces.

Relative to the West, India is well poised to leverage its extensive network of religious and cultural institutions against this looming crisis. However, the following policy and social responses warrant consideration.

 

Making religion work for mental health

First, it is vital to de-regulate religious organisations across the country and scrap archaic temple control laws In many states, temples are constricted and regulated by the overburdened Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE). It is highly questionable whether this department possesses the capacity, incentive, or expertise to respond to modern day issues.

The government machinery concerns itself with the bare upkeep of temples. This is a massive opportunity cost. Instead, autonomous religious organisations could be far better information aggregators in understanding the issues of local communities. This would be a welcome change compared to ossified government structures that lack effective feedback mechanisms to fluidly respond to the evolving needs of society. Demand-driven innovation could lead to the modernisation of religion, including making theology more accessible and relevant to contemporary life.

Second, religious organisations should focus on innovation that can foster a sense of belonging, particularly among the young urban demographic. This will be contingent on providing safe and accessible third spaces beyond the realms of home and workplace. In India, where public spaces are scarce, the necessity for such spaces is amplified, as the dearth could be driving individuals of all ages toward increased smartphone dependency. These alternative spaces could foster communities with shared values and norms, where individuals can engage in face-to-face interactions, celebrate occasions, partake in physical activities, and broaden their social networks.

Notable examples of successful innovations in this regard include organisations like ISKCON, the Isha Foundation, and the Art of Living, which have captivated the imagination of the youth and provided spiritual and social sanctuary to many.

A sceptic might argue that popping pills could be a simpler solution. However, even antidepressants are successful in only about one-fifth of depression cases. Perhaps the opium of the masses is worth a shot.

Kishen Shastry is a PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Cambridge and works on topics in institutional economics. Views are personal.

(Edited by Asavari Singh)