INDIANA --- As the nation, including Indiana sees an increase in teens struggling with mental health challenges, a new app called “Ankit’s Hope" is aiming to serve as a resource.The non-profit organization was started by Pushpa Toppo and her daughter Rachel. The family lost their son, 20-year-old Ankit, to mental health challenges in 2022.
The app connects teens across Indiana to nearby resources and allows them to track their mental health through daily self-screenings. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness one in six kids ages 6-17 in the U.S. experience a mental health disorder each year.“One of the things we’ve seen is the increase in anxiety and depression since the onset of COVID, just the social isolation piece that youth are dealing with at the time as well as the academic gaps that took place,” said Ashlyn Douthitt, the Supervisor of Mental Health and Clinical Services for the organization Reach for Youth.