A majority of mental disorders begin silently during adolescence and early adulthood, long before individuals reach their most productive years, mental health experts warned at the 77th Annual National Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society (ANCIPS 2026).Presenting Indian data, experts revealed that nearly 60 per cent of mental disorders in the country are diagnosed in people below 35 years. \u201cWhen 60 per cent of mental disorders are affecting people under 35, it is clear that India\u2019s mental health crisis is unfolding far earlier than we once believed,\u201d said Dr Deepak Raheja, organising secretary of ANCIPS Delhi. He stressed that \u201cearly identification, school-and college-based mental health programmes and destigmatisation are no longer optional but essential.\u201dCiting global and Indian research, psychiatrists said the median age of onset for mental illness lies between 19 and 20. Referring to a large international study published in Molecular Psychiatry that tracked over seven lakh individuals, experts noted that 34.6 per cent of mental disorders begin before the age of 14, nearly 48.4 per cent before 18, and 62.5 per cent by the age of 25. \u201cFor most patients, mental illness starts well before adulthood, quietly influencing education, careers, relationships and overall quality of life,\u201d experts said.By the age of 25, most cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders and eating disorders have already emerged, while depression, substance use disorders and behavioural addictions are now being reported at increasingly younger ages. The Indian Psychiatric Society cautioned that when such conditions remain untreated, these often become chronic, leading to long-term disability and high social and economic costs.<\/p>\n
The Indian Psychiatric Society president Dr Savita Malhotra said young people today face unique pressures. \u201cRapid social change, constant digital comparison, academic competition and uncertainty about the future are deeply affecting the mental health of our youth. Services must become more accessible, youth-friendly and stigma-free,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Suicide statistics discussed at the conference further underlined the urgency. According to the World Health Organization, suicide is now the third leading cause of death among individuals aged 15 to 29. Experts linked this alarming trend to academic pressure, unemployment, digital overexposure, social isolation, substance use and unresolved emotional distress.<\/p>\n
Highlighting long-term consequences, Dr Nimesh G Desai, Chairperson former Director of the Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences (IHBAS), said, \u201cMental disorders that begin in youth often follow a lifelong course if not treated early. If reported on time, almost all mental disorders can be treated successfully and patients can lead a normal life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A majority of mental disorders begin silently during adolescence and early adulthood, long before individuals reach their most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":445521,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[64,63,137,514,515],"class_list":{"0":"post-445520","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-mental-health","12":"tag-mentalhealth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=445520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445520\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/445521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=445520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=445520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=445520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}