By IANSlife

March 21, 2023 (IANSlife) Indian women demonstrated a proactive approach toward healthcare, as evidenced by a 23 percent increase in consultations compared to the prior year, according to data gathered from 78,000 women users. Oncology and mental health experienced YoY increases of 96 percent and 66 percent, respectively, making them the two fastest-growing fields. Notably, younger women tended to seek out the majority of mental health consultations, especially for psychotherapy, psychiatry, and psychology.

Mental Health

Women under 35 consulting the most on mental health

Age-wise break-up of mental health consultations by women in 2022 

(Age groups of 54+ contribute to 3 percent of the consultations)

More younger women (under 25) are seeking mental health support 

• 18 - 24 witnessing 59 percent growth in consultations YoY; followed by 
• 25 - 34 witnessing 38 percent growth 
• 35 - 44 witnessing 23 percent growth 
• And 45 - 64 witnessing 15 percent growth
• 64+ has also witnessed some growth but the numbers are relatively lower 

Most discussed concerns: withdrawal symptoms, suicidal behavior, stress, panic, PTSD, eating disorder, drug abuse, alcoholic addiction 

Oncology 

Majority women between 25 - 34 are seeking consultations for Oncology

Age-wise break-up of oncology consultations by women in 2022

(Age groups of 45-54 & 64+ contribute to 1% of the consultations each)

Women between age group 25 - 44 is seeing maximum growth

• 25-34 witnessing 118 percent growth in oncology consultations YoY; followed by 
• 35-44 witnessing 108 percent growth
• 45+ witnessing 21 percent growth
• While 18 - 24 has seen marginal growth the numbers are relatively lower

Overall, young women in their 20s and 30s formed the majority of consultations across specialties 

• Users in the age group of 25 -34 years contributed to 65 percent of consultations done by women. It is followed by those between 35-44 years (21 percent), followed by 18 - 24 years (8 percent), and 45 - 54 years (3 percent) and women aged 55 and above (2 percent)
• Highest growth in consultations is also seen among young women, with 18 - 24 growing at 56%, followed by 25 - 34 at 23 percent, and 35 - 44 at 15 percent

Top 5 specialties consulted by women in 2022 include:

• Gynecology at 16 percent
• Dermatology at 10 percent
• General Physician at 8 percent
• Dentist and Pediatrician both at 5% each

 

Commenting on these insights, Dr. Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Healthcare Strategy Officer, Practo, said, "In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of younger women seeking mental health support and this trend warrants attention and action. There are multiple factors contributing to this trend, such as increasing awareness and de-stigmatisation of mental health concerns, the impact of social media on mental health, and the unique stressors and challenges faced by younger generations. As a community we have to recognise this and provide support and foster overall wellbeing. And we at Practo are committed to making mental health service easily accessible through our healthcare services, with thousands of mental health specialists available to patients."

Talking about the trend, Dr Rajiv Nandy, Clinical Psychologist,Chairman-Shristi Child Development & Learning Institute said, “Acceptance and awareness has been the most fundamental driving force of this change. Women today are more educated, more aware of themselves and their role in society. They are in positions of power, they know how to exercise their rights, they know when and how to assert themselves and they definitely have the ability to recognise when something is not right and seek help.”

Practo's insights reports highlight important ailments and consultation-related trends in the country. The information is aggregated, anonymized, and analyzed at scale. 

 

 

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IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in