Engaging with adolescents to navigate the Adolescents’ Resilience and Treatment nEeds for Mental health in Indian Slums (ARTEMIS) trial

Abstract

Adolescence causes rapid changes at physical, mental, and social levels rending adolescents vulnerable to stress, depression, and increased risk of self-harm/suicide [1] In India, mental illness is one of the leading causes of death and disability for this age group [2]. Many adolescents with mental disorders worldwide are left untreated and unidentified [3] due to lack of awareness of mental health needs, public stigma and internalised stigma, and few mental health professionals available. The situation is worse for slum-dwelling adolescents who are particularly vulnerable to mental disorders due to greater poverty, unemployment, low parental education, poor living conditions and limited access to mental health care [4]. This makes it essential to develop strategies to directly support and treat adolescents in slums who have mental health conditions.