From Demographic Dividend to Psychological Liability: Youth, Mental Health, and the Crisis of Life-Readiness in Contemporary India

Abstract India’s demographic dividend is often touted as a structural advantage that can drive sustained economic growth and social change. However, the emerging patterns of youth distress through increasing suicides, substance abuse, emotional imbalance and declining resilience challenge this assumption. This paper develops a sociological argument that while the crisis is not located solely within individuals, it is also the systems that produce them. The objective of the research conceptualises life-readiness among youth as in decline, drawing on theoretical frameworks such as anomie, ecological systems theory, and cultural reproduction, and on policy references such as the National Education Policy (2020) and the World Mental Health Report (2022). The drop manifests as reduced attention spans, diminished emotional regulation, disorganised social identity, and an imbalance between cognitive intelligence (IQ) and emotional and mental health capacities (EQ and MHQ). The paper argues that India's demographic dividend could turn into a demographic liability with long-term socio-economic consequences, unless there is a systemic realignment across education, digital environments and community structures. Keywords: Youth Mental Health Crisis in India; Life Skills Education (NEP 2020); WHO School Mental Health Framework; Digital Attention Economy; Emotional Resilience