An increasing number of youngsters are turning mental wrecks because of various psychological disorders on account of broken families and this is resulting in an increase in crimes, violence and immoral activities, an NGO championing the cause of children belonging to divorced parents has said.

According to the NGO Children’s Rights and Shared Parenting (CRSP), its recent survey across the country on the eve of World Mental Health Day on October 10 had found that “instability, violence and constant traumatic events are becoming daily occurrences” in the country.

Young people have been classified by the NGO as those belonging to the age group of 14 to 28 years.

“Directly/indirectly experiencing trauma, like natural disasters, physical/sexual/emotional abuse, war, separation from family, bullying/cyber bullying, have a negative effect on youth. Some form of trauma or the other is common in one’s lifetime, but as young people do not have proper support or resilience, the effect may last for months, years or a lifetime, reducing their sense of self-worth, affront their dignity and hinder their development,” the NGO’s president, Kumar Jhaghirdar, said in a recent statement.

The issue, the statement said, transcends culture, religion and economic status, and is also a global problem that not only impacts a person’s self-esteem, but also harms their education and physical and mental well-being.

“They are prone to develop other mental disorders like substance addictions, behaviour problems (vindictive/suicidal behaviour, self-harm) depression, anxiety or psychotic break down,” the NGO said.

Quoting figures of the National Crime Records Bureau, the NGO said almost 60 per cent of crimes against minors were perpetrated by youngsters in the age group of 16 to 18 years. The traceable reasons of such offences are easy money, attention and emotional problems, the NGO said.

The NGO blamed social media, TV and aggressive games on video/mobile phones for the rage and violence. It said the issues had to be tackled at the earliest.

“Cases of media addiction, game addiction are increasing, which lead us to coin the new word gadget/screen/Internet use disorder. Young minds struggle to boost their self-esteem, by seeking attention, showing off… Internet abuse giving them a false sense of well-being and satisfaction, adding onto other addictions to substance like cannabis, opium, alcohol, nicotine, etc.

“Negative aspects of Internet addiction are cyber bullying and cyber crime. Suicide apps like Blue Whale, Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds, globally. Suicide rates are also high amongst vulnerable groups who experience discrimination, such as refugees and migrants; indigenous peoples; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex (LGBTQI); and prisoners. Many people thinking of or (having) attempted suicide are not getting the help that they need.

“Many suicides and self-harming behaviour happen impulsively in moments of crisis, such as financial problems, relationship breakdowns or chronic pain and illness,” the NGO said.

According to the organisation, practical implementation of various activities promoting mental health, such as training and awareness programmes for the public, the media, schools and health professionals, are yet to be initiated by the government.