Mind Games | Mirchi by Anindita Chatterjee

As per WHO, India is the most depressed country in the world. 6.5% of the Indian population suffers from some form of mental illness and it’s the young population who contributes majorly to it. The depression rates in the country have increased rapidly over the last decade and today 50% of the youth affected are under the age of 14 and 75% under 25. Add to that the staggering ratio of 1 mental health care professional to 1,00,000 patients and you know why cases of depression, anxiety and other serious mental disorders go largely unreported in India. But why is Indian youth sad? Is it the fierce competition to outdo each other or new parameters of ‘happiness’ set by social media? Nuclear families or loss of human touch in today’s digital age? We would not know for sure. But in a country like India, where mental sickness is confused with ‘madness’ and considered a taboo topic, it’s important to talk about it. Anindita Chatterjee, a talent scout and media professional, meets and works with 20 somethings from across the country. A lot of her young colleagues confide in her about their failing mental health. Mind Games is her honest attempt to address this issue, gain some insight and tell the people with depression that they are not alone in this. One for all and all for one.