- Kanishka Choudhary, a 17-year-old high school student from Gujrat, has created an iOS app to help teenagers and adults overcome their psychological issues,
- A survey has revealed that around 16% of the global population develops depression and other mental health issues at the age of 10-19 years.
Mental health problems affect many adults, teenagers, and children each year. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to more serious psychological conditions than ever before, says a recent NCBI report. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of depression among teenagers is 16% worldwide.
Kanishka Chaudhary, a 17-year-old high school student of GNFC Narmada Vidyalaya in Bharuch, Gujrat, has created an iOS app to help teenagers and adults fight their mental health battles. She has won the Apple WWDC Students Challenge by developing a mobile application named ‘Ralasi Teens’ where teenagers can share their problems and interact with different people.
When asked about her app, Kanishka said, “Imagine an app where people with mental health problems can express themselves without any limits and the best thing about that app is they don’t have to share their real identity, like on traditional social media platforms.”
Apple recently organized its annual WWDC Swift Students Challenge, where 350 students from 41 different countries have emerged as the winners. 15 Indian students have won the competition whose apps will be available soon on the Apple app store. Kanishka is one of the winners from India who will be representing her country in the Next Generation of Coders competition.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), talking therapy is one of the most effective treatments for teenage depression. NIMH experts suggest that any teenager who is suffering from depression should talk to a trusted adult first. Spending time with friends and family, staying active, taking proper sleep, and eating healthy help reduce the severity of depression symptoms. The experts also recommend teenagers to consult with a psychologist.