Experts express concern over rising trend of digital addiction among youngsters

Panchkula, July 28, 2024: Mental health experts today expressed their concern over growing digital addiction, especially among youngsters, which was impacting their mental health.

They were speaking at the Continuing Medical Education (CME) program themed “Shaping Future Mental Health in Rural India: Bridging the Rural Urban Divide” at Hotel Bela Vista here today. This one-day event hosted by The Society of Rural Mental Health (SRMH) brought together professionals from across the country to discuss critical issues impacting the field of mental health. Over 115 delegates from Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh & Punjab attended the conference.

Organizing Chairperson of the CME, Dr. Rajeev Trehan, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist from Panchkula, said the event was a platform for leading experts to share their knowledge on digital addictions, psychiatric practice risk management, and mental health in rural India.

The event began with an inauguration ceremony, followed by a workshop on “Digital Addictions: Symptoms and Solutions.” Prof. Manoj Sharma, Clinical Psychologist and Coordinator of the SHUT Clinic at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, led this session.

SHUT (Service for Healthy Use of Technology) Clinic is the first clinic in India which has been established for assessment and management of technology addiction. The clinic has so far catered to treatment seekers aged 14 to 45 years, for their excessive use of mobile phones , video games, social media, binge watching, pornography, cyber bullying etc

Dr. Sharma emphasized the rising trend of digital addiction, its symptoms, and effective therapeutic solutions. Prof. Sharma highlighted the importance of early detection and intervention in managing digital addictions. “Indian users spend an average of 194 minutes a day on social media, platforms such as Netflix and Amazon, and online gaming. Instagram is the most popular social media platform for young people, followed by YouTube. Young people spend an average of 2.4 hours per day on social media alone. The rate of addiction to screen stand around 5.5 %”, he added.

The session focused on the patterns of screen usage across age groups, with adults using screens for 8–10 hours on average and children under 2 using them for 49 minutes.

Dr. Ashwin Mohan delivered a lecture on “Managing Newer Challenges in Addiction Psychiatry.” Dr. Mohan addressed the evolving landscape of addiction psychiatry, focusing on novel substances of abuse and contemporary treatment methodologies. He discussed the integration of new technologies and approaches in the diagnosis and management of addiction disorders.

Prof. Sujit Sarkhel from the Institute of Psychiatry, Kolkata, gave a presentation on “Risk Management in Psychiatric Practice.” Prof. Sarkhel discussed various risks encountered in psychiatric practice, including clinical, legal, and ethical challenges. He provided practical guidelines and strategies to mitigate these risks and ensure safe and effective patient care.

Another highlight of the event was a lecture on “Management of Psychiatric Disorders during Pregnancy” by Dr. Nitin Gupta, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist from Chandigarh.

Dr. Gupta provided an insight into the complexities of treating psychiatric disorders during pregnancy, emphasizing the importance of balancing maternal mental health with foetal safety. He discussed evidence-based treatment options and the role of multidisciplinary care in managing these patients.

He highlighted the high occurrence of mental illnesses as per World Health Organization about 10%-15% of pregnant women and 13%-20% of postpartum women experience mental disorders; depression being the commonest.

The event concluded with a panel discussion on “Shaping Future Mental Health in Rural India: Bridging the Rural-Urban Divide.” Moderated by Prof. Rajiv Gupta, the discussion featured panellists including Dr. Tushar Jagawat, Prof. Sujit Sarkhel and Prof. Manoj Sharma.

Dr. Rajeev Trehan emphasized the need for tailored interventions and community-based approaches to bridge the rural-urban mental health divide. The panellists explored the unique challenges faced in providing mental health services in rural areas and proposed strategies to improve access and quality of care.