Indian Journal of Positive Psychology

Deepak Salvi ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Clinical Psychology, Amity Institute of Behavior and Allied Sciences (AIBAS), Amity University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan, IN

Abstract

Mental health is integral to our well-being and is as important as being physically healthy. The growing incidence of mental health issues in adolescents is a reflection of the reality that confronts us today. Primary Prevention (PP) of mental illnesses especially depression in children and adolescents has only recently taken a hold as distinct from secondary and tertiary preventions. PP for adolescent depression encompasses school based resilience building interventions and community based stigma reduction programme at large. However, the aim of this article is limited to the introduction of approaches that help gradually build and strengthen the resilience factors and promoting the well being by developing new positive behavior among normal adolescents. This new recognition was born out of the necessity as new Mental Health Care Act (MHCA, 2017) places more emphasis on prevention of mental illness and the world health day of this year was celebrated with the theme of "Depression-let's Talk" in terms of preventive measures. Depression is a major public health problem in children and adolescents, which makes the identification and implementation of effective interventions an increasing concern at universal or PP level. Therefore, the main aim of this article is to discuss theoretically different psychological interventions for depression in terms of primary prevention. This article presents and discusses new interventions with rationale, such as the Positive Psychology and Mindfulness based interventions for Adolescents, which suggest that the focus of interventions for depressed adolescents should integrate well-being enhancement to achieve optimal functioning as a primary prevention strategies.

Keywords

Primary Prevention, Adolescent Depression, Positive Psychology, Well Being Enhancement.

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Deepak Salvi ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Clinical Psychology, Amity Institute of Behavior and Allied Sciences (AIBAS), Amity University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan, IN

Abstract

Over the past two decades, rapid urbanization, institutionahzation, advanced technology, cultural diversity and sometimes geographic mobility have radically transformed the environment and this new environment has fundamentally altered the circumstances of growing up as an adolescent in the developing countries like India. Furthermore, the research in the field of adolescent development has undergone a growth spurt and knowledge has expanded significantly. Adolescence is a critical period of overall development which poses significant developmental challenges specifically in academic achievement but fail to demonstrate optimal growth, adjustment and adaptation success in other domain for e.g., behavior and emotion regulation. Adolescents who do not successfully meet developmental challenges may experience mental and behavioral problems as a result of this failure and may further interfere with successful adaptation. Adolescent behavior problems such as substance abuse, antisocial behavior and mental health behavior problems are substantial in rapidly developing countries like India. An understanding of risk and protective factors at multiple levels including child, family, school, peer group and community has influenced the intervention strategies. However at individual level there is a paucity of careful consideration, knowledge and studies of changing the perspective of challenges from positive psychology point of view. Positive psychology provides a view of changing the developmental challenges into opportunities that would promote the optimal development of cognitive, emotional, moral and identity development in adolescents. This article is an attempt to understand the concept of challenge v/s opportunity paradox while inculcating the positivism through perspective taking approach during the critical adolescence period. This article would facilitate the understanding of developing and linking competence to opportunities to learn to mitigate challenges through positive psychology.

Keywords

Challenge, Opportunity, Adolescence, Optimal Development, Positive Psychology.

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