CHANDIGARH, 30.09.26-The Advanced Pediatrics Centre, PGIMER, Chandigarh, organised a one-day Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme, “ Adolescents at Risk: From Early Identification to Intervention,” on September 29, 2026. Around 120 delegates from across North India, including teachers, counsellors, pediatricians, psychologists, mental-health professionals and students, participated in the programme.

The CME brought together professionals from PGIMER, AIMS Mohali, Amity University and MCM DAV college, Fortis & Plaksha University to discuss some of the most pressing challenges facing adolescents today, including the developing adolescent brain, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), relationships and rejection, social media and mental health, vaping and substance use, self-harm, psychosocial assessment and support for neurodiverse adolescents.

A major highlight was the presentation “Hidden in Plain Sight: Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Adolescents” by Dr Bhavneet Bharti, Professor & Head, Social Pediatrics, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, PGIMER, in which she shared preliminary observations from an ICMR-supported school-based study on ACEs. The project aims not only to determine the prevalence and patterns of ACEs among school-going adolescents but also to develop and implement a trauma-informed intervention to promote mental health, resilience and emotional well-being in schools.

Dr Bharti explained that ACEs include severe childhood stressors such as emotional, physical and sexual abuse, neglect and exposure to dysfunctional home environments. The concept also needs to be understood in the wider context of poverty, community violence, disrupted schooling, disability, family dysfunction and other situations that increase vulnerability.

“These experiences are often hidden in plain sight,” Dr Bharti said. “A child sitting quietly in a classroom, showing aggression, withdrawing from friends, struggling academically or engaging in risk-taking behaviour may be carrying an adversity that nobody has asked about. Our preliminary findings show why we need to move from asking ‘What is wrong with this adolescent?’ to understanding ‘What has happened to this adolescent, and what support does this young person need?’”

The ICMR project is designed to study the prevalence and patterns of ACEs, their association with mental-health and behavioural outcomes and early non-communicable disease risk factors, and ultimately develop a culturally appropriate school-based trauma-informed intervention. The larger study is designed to include adolescents from government and private schools across urban and rural/peri-urban settings in Chandigarh and Mohali.

“The objective is not merely to count adversity,” Dr Bharti added. “The real goal is early identification, better mental health, safer and more supportive schools, and resilient adolescents. Schools can become one of our strongest platforms for changing a young person’s developmental trajectory.”

Other expert sessions broadened the discussion from identification to intervention. Dr Prahbhjot Malhi addressed relationships, rejection and resilience and later discussed self-harm in adolescents using case studies. Dr Nidhi Malhotra focused on smoking, vaping and experimentation with substances, while Dr Amrit Virk, Professor & Head Community Medicine at AIMS Mohali discussed adolescence as an important window for modifying behaviours before they translate into disease.

A session on social media, digital risks and mental health, featuring Dr Manjit Sidhu, Dr Mehraaj Sandhu (Fortis Mohali) and Dr Prakarsh Singh, (Plakasha University) examined how adolescents' increasingly digital social worlds can influence relationships, behaviour and psychological well-being.

The practical session “Know the Tools, Know the Risk,” conducted by Dr Deepika Lamba Associate Professor and Asst dean Amity University Ms Chandani Assistant Professor Clinical Psychology Amity University, Ms Diksha Jain and Ms Shivani, familiarised participants with approaches to comprehensive psychosocial assessment so that adolescents requiring additional support can be recognised systematically rather than only after a crisis occurs.

The CME concluded with “Conversations that Matter: Supporting Neurodiverse Adolescents in Schools & Colleges,” bringing together professionals, teachers and Students. The discussion emphasised listening to the voices of young people themselves and creating inclusive educational environments responsive to different developmental and learning needs.