MUMBAI: A substantial percentage of the city’s

youth

in the 20-30 age bracket is depressed and most suffer from a poor self-image. Worse, just a few of their

are in the know of their mental health. These are some of the disturbing findings of a recent

.

Nearly 40% of the city’s youth aged between 20 and 30 admit to being depressed but an almost equal number does nothing to address the problem, the survey has found. It also reveals that merely 13% of their parents are aware about their mental health.

Among men, 38% said they feel depressed all the time and 22% said they are down sometimes. Among women, the corresponding numbers were 49% and 22%, respectively. At the same time, though, 42% men and 32%

have not taken any proactive steps to pull themselves out of the condition.

The survey, for which 400 women and 400 men were interviewed in Mumbai over a six-month period, has revealed the choices the youth have made.

Body image is also a concern among the youth. As many as 79% of the female respondents and 68% men said they were not happy with their looks; 68% women and 48% men said they would consider cosmetic surgery.

The survey, conducted by Podar Institute of Education, a teacher-training school, also spoke to students about their relationships and addictions.

Merely 2% of the women and 8% men said they were educated about sex by their parents. The rest depended on friends, books,

websites and videos.

Swati Popat, survey lead and president of Podar Institute of Education, told TOI that it is time parents got sensitized to their children’s mental health. “These findings indicate the urgent need to pay attention to the youth’s mental health since that is leading to addiction among them. It is necessary that parents work on a children’s emotions and don’t hurt them. They must also ensure they do not set unreal expectations that cannot be met by their children and talk to them with respect. The respondents said they hadn’t opened up to their parents but willingly spoke to us,” said Popat.

The respondents also exhibited a high dependence on social media. Of the total youth surveyed, 79% women and 68% men said they were on “all social media platforms”. Almost 50% of them spent between five and 10 hours on social media daily. The leading purpose of social media for the group was to make friends and watch porn, revealed the survey.