Empowering Urban Teens: Digital Health Tools Combat Stigma

The ARTEMIS project in India utilized community-based campaigns and digital tools to successfully reduce depression and self-harm risk among teenagers in urban slums. By addressing stigma and improving mental health understanding, the program proved effective in these communities, with findings published in JAMA Psychiatry.

A groundbreaking initiative in India, the ARTEMIS project, is harnessing community-based anti-stigma campaigns and digital mental health tools to address mental health issues among teenagers in urban slums. The study highlights the success of this intervention in reducing depression and self-harm risks.

Approximately 253 million adolescents reside in India, with about one in five experiencing mental health challenges. The ARTEMIS project, pioneered by The George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi, targets these issues with tailored multimedia campaigns and a digital screening system for distress.

Researchers report significant improvements in the mental health knowledge and attitudes among participating adolescents when compared to those outside the intervention. The findings, published in JAMA Psychiatry, underscore the model's feasibility and success despite challenges such as stigma and access barriers.