Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Adolescents in India: A Narrative Review of Influencing Factors, Barriers and Strategies

Abstract

Adolescents with mental health difficulties often do not reach professional help. This narrative review brings together Indian evidence on adolescent mental health help-seeking, drawn from about 50 studies identified through Google Scholar searches. It is not a systematic review. The literature is organised under the factors that influence help-seeking, the barriers adolescents face, the roles of family, educational institutions and the community, and strategies tried or proposed to improve help-seeking. Stigma, low mental health literacy, family attitudes, cultural beliefs, confidentiality concerns, limited awareness of services, structural gaps and academic pressure appear repeatedly across studies. Trusted relationships, school-based programmes and accessible, confidential services are the main facilitators. The evidence is uneven: much of it comes from college and medical students and young adults, and several intervention studies are small, pilot or protocol studies. More research on adolescents aged 16–19 in clearly defined local settings is needed.