ThinkTankWeekly

Listening to adolescents: Building gender-responsive mental health systems in India

Brookings | 2026-09-18 | health

Topics: Indo-Pacific

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English Summary

The article argues that effective mental health support for adolescents in India must be youth-centered and gender-responsive, shifting focus from structured programs to the lived experiences of young people. Key evidence highlights the high prevalence of mental health issues, noting that female students report significantly higher symptoms of depression and anxiety, while existing policies often fail to involve adolescents in decision-making. Therefore, policy intervention should prioritize reimagining schools as comprehensive well-being ecosystems by strengthening school capacity, training educators, and ensuring adolescents are active co-designers of mental health support systems.

中文摘要

本文論述,印度青少年有效的心理健康支持必須以年輕人為中心並具備性別回應性,應將重點從結構化計畫轉移至年輕人的實際生活經驗。關鍵證據指出心理健康問題的盛行率極高,特別是女性學生報告的憂鬱和焦慮症狀顯著更高,而現有政策往往未能讓青少年參與決策制定。因此,政策介入應優先考慮將學校重塑為全面的福祉生態系統,方法包括強化學校能力、培訓教育工作者,並確保青少年成為心理健康支持系統的主動共同設計者。

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