People & Their Problems
New Delhi, 12 May 2017
Rising
Depression
TREAT
& TACKLE LESS HAPPINESS
By Dr
Oishee Mukherjee
Quite rightly the theme selected for
this year’s World Health Day has been depression. As is well known, over 300
million people world-wide suffer from depression but the situation in India is even
more serious. It is estimated from a recent study that at least 10 per cent of
people in the country suffer from depression or anxiety but the numbers in
urban sector may be even higher.
Depression is most prevalent among
those between the ages of 40 to 60 and ill health could be the primary reason
for this. This has been found by the National Mental Health Survey conducted by
the Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS). Apart from
environmental and social issues, biological changes are among the primary
reasons according to researchers involved in the study.
It has been found that depression
commonly occurs with other illnesses such as anxiety, obsessive compulsive
disorder panic disorder, alcoholism, anti-social personality and schizophrenia
and eating disorders. This is most common among those between 41 and 59 years
of age, according to the National Health Mission.
There are also reports that those
with cancer, arthritis, alcohol addiction or chronic lung diseases could be
prone to depression. Depression is prevalent among those with non-communicable
diseases. This disease affects the brain and when the brain starts to function
abnormally, it affects a person’s mood and behaviour. The pessimism in the
person aggravates and proper medical treatment is called for.
More than 80 per cent of people who
kill themselves suffer from some sort of depression. This is established by the
fact that 150,000 people commit suicide in the country; that’s one person in
every 15 minutes. But we have only about 3500 psychiatrists and around 7000
psychologists to treat such a large number affected by this disease. Experts
have pointed out that paucity of psychiatrists as also poor mental services in
the country have accentuated diseases, specially depression.
Sometimes people not quite aware of
the treatment needed to cure the disease. There is a general feeling that
depression is not a disease and medical treatment is not quite necessary.
However, medical science sees depression purely as a disease and prolonged
treatment is called for. Moreover, the affected person should not undergo any
strain and tension and advised to live a relatively happy life.
The reasons for the spread of the
disease may be attributed to recent trends in society where families are
breaking up, children do not think it necessary to look after their old
parents, and the craving for more and more in the form of material wealth and
comforts etc. There is very little happiness in society or in the family. In
fact, India is very low in
the happiness index as the country has been running after material values,
which do not confirm to India’s
traditional culture and values.
Another important reason for
depression is the growing poverty and squalor in rural areas, where providing
education and health facilities to family members has become a big problem.
Moreover crop failures, leading to heavy debts cause depression and anxiety and
destabilise the family. Corruption also plays a significant part in causing
frustration and depressive tendencies are steadily manifest.
In such a situation, experts are of
the opinion that depression is bound to increase in the coming years. Though
religious worship or even fanaticism has increased, essential values in the
family, the community and in society have been witnessing a decline. This is
indeed puzzling and some sociologists attribute this to decline in moral and
ethical standards.
Like any other disease, depression
has to be controlled at the primary stage though such control may not be easy.
How many diabetes patients or heart patients can control their ailment? Can we
say that if values change or even if there is grass-root development of the
people in the lowest tiers of society, the cause for depression or anxiety may
be put to check? But making this a reality is indeed a tough task.
One obviously aspires for a healthy
society where there is equality, fellow-feeling and love and compassion for at
least relatives and friends, if not for the larger community. Achieving this in
the modern world will help bring down the incidence of depression and its
affect on human health but to make this a reality, there is need to shed a
little of our selfishness. This should not be very difficult as Indians
inculcate in their family religious and ethical values and just not show or
pose to be religious.
The importance for focussed
attention came just around two years back when the Medical Council of India
(MCI) inducted psychiatry as an elective subject in the undergraduate syllabus.
Apart from this, there is need to start an awareness campaign to control
hostile behaviour patterns of individuals and open psychiatric clinics in all
hospitals in cities and also in the districts for counseling. Taking the help
of psychologists for counseling should be made easy. Big corporate houses and
governments and educational institutions should be asked to appoint a part-time
doctor or psychologist for counseling.
In some States, non-governmental
initiatives to treat mental disorders have been coming up. These organisations
screen the rural population for psychological problems and offer medical help
and counseling. More such organisations at the grass-root level in the
sub-divisions and districts should be encouraged to come up where cases of
depression at the preliminary stage could be treated and counseling offered.
Coupled with this, there is need to
inculcate moral and ethical values in students and youth and also grown-ups so
that there is a limit to our materialist desires. The craving for more and more
has to be checked. If some change can be brought about in individual behaviour,
there is a possibility of reducing depression and anxiety. This could also
bring down the incidence of diseases like hypertension, diabetes, high pressure
etc.
It may be pertinent here to mention
a report of Prof Dong-feng Zhang of the Medical College of Quingdas University.
An analysis of 26 global studies involving more than 1.5 lakh people indicated
a 17-18 per cent reduction in the risk of depression among those eating fish.
The risk reduction was higher in men at 20 per cent and 16 per cent among
women. Scientists suggest that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish may alter the
micro structure of brain membranes and modify the activity of
neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin. Moreover, the high quality protein,
vitamins and minerals found in fish may help stave off depression.
The trend of increasing depression
among all segments of the population is undoubtedly a cause for great concern.
Unless social and psychological mind of the individual is restructured,
depressive conditions may tend to have a serious and adverse effect on society.
Human relations may get disturbed and the very fabric of society may break up.
Thus there has to be serious attempts, primarily on the part of the government,
to evolve ways and means to curb depression and make life relatively easy and
simple. --- INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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