Overcoming Depression

Introduction:

On June 14 we heard the news of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput committing suicide in his Bandra home by hanging himself. It was shocking news for everybody because he was a rising star with good movies to his credit. This sudden demise has brought people’s attention to the fact that mental health is such a big issue. Many people suffer from it every day ranging from anxiety, depression to anger problems, and high blood pressure.

This kind of awakening among the masses in India is an important movement. As mental health is never consider seriously in the sub-continent. Many people just see it as an attention-seeking farce. So let’s see what Depression is and how it can be treated.

What is Depression?

There are many types of depression the most common and serious one is the Clinical Depression. It is a mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities. This cause feelings of sadness and can cause a variety of emotional and physical problems. It can affect a person’s functional level.[1] Depression can vary from mild to severe. Some other types of Depression are Bipolar depression. In this you have mood episodes. It range from feeling extreme high energy to do some work to low depressive mood.[2]

Another type is the Psychotic Depression in which you have symptoms of clinical depression. But you also have hallucinations, paranoia, etc. It can be a dangerous form and should be treated by a doctor as early as possible. Post-Partum Depression is also a widespread type which happens to mother in the weeks and months after the childbirth. In India, most people do not have any idea and just see childbirth with that happy movement. But the toll that it takes on a women’s body should also be taken into consideration.

Some of the symptoms of depression are:

1. Feeling a lack of energy and a constant feeling of fatigue. It hampers your daily activity and also the professional life.
2. Always feeling sad and having a low mood for any work or activity.
3. Not enjoying the activities that once you used to like and unwillingness to try them again.  
4. Difficulty in thinking and concentrating on any work. Also making any decision and also rise in purposeless physical activity like fiddling.
5. Feeling worthless and guilty all the time which leads to trouble in sleeping
6. Perhaps the most dangerous is constantly thinking of suicide and death.

Situation in India

An estimate one in seven Indians suffere from mental disorders of varying severity. Depression and anxiety being the most common cases.[3] The contribution of mental disorders to total disease burden has double in the recent decade. This shows that it is rising concern and some strong decisions on policies have to take to decrease this phenomenon. The major factor that brings anxiety and depression especially in the younger age group is the fact of unemployment.

It is a known fact that our population is rapidly increasing every year but the resources of the country remain the same. Job opportunities are also day by day decreasing. This has lead to a huge rat race among the postgraduates to get a job and many get a menial job although they have a good degree. Our family structure also requires that the child should be able to take care of the parents after becoming an adult so not getting a job leads to increasing anxiety among the youth. 

Sushant Singh Rajput’s death also cause due to depression for 6 months. His bed was found with some medications. Many have started speaking up against the nepotism prevalent in the industry. They say that many of his films cancel at the last minute which made him upset. He always remain an outsider for the industry. He used to say that no one invites him to the parties and was bullied by some Bollywood heavyweights. This kind of bullying happens in many industries around the country but Bollywood is the most glamorous so it gets all the attention.

Many of the working population gets stress out due to the immense workload. It is said that 89% of the population is suffering from stress which is higher than the global average of 86%.[4] Such a high level of stress happens due to the financial workload. More of the GDP must be put towards healthcare. Especially towards mental health because stress can lead to depression which can affect a person badly.

Treatments

There are many treatments for overcoming depression. The most important is the support of family members and close friends. They are the ones with whom we can share our biggest tensions and they can support us from the initial stage. If a person gets emotional as well as physical support from their close ones then depression can be stopped from the earliest stage. Another treatment is exercise. It is important to keep the body healthy as the more bright we feel the less depressed our outcomes will be. For this, we also have to eat healthy stuff to supplement our healthy exercise.

Therapies are the most common methods of overcoming depression. Knowing that someone will listen to your detail and provide you with methods to overcome them helps many of the patients. They can be of two types the one on one and the group style. The one on one is more individualized and you may feel more comfortable sharing your events to only one person but in group therapies, you feel relieved that many across the area suffer from the same problems and form validation you may move forward towards a relief. There are many medications like anti-depressants which should be use only with the prescription but the natural method is more preferable.

Conclusion

Thus we have seen how depression is a serious issue that has to get more attention. Mental health has always been a taboo in India with people just advising it to be in your head but its high time that we start learning more about the disorder and normalize it so that those suffering from it can come forward to share their stories and get the relief to come out of depression. The story of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death is a sad one which shows the nepotism and the ugly side behind the glamour of Bollywood but the story is also a ray of hope as more people are spreading knowledge about the issue through social networking and as more attention goes to the disorder better initiatives will be taken by the government to bring policies and facilities to check on the mental health of its citizens.    

References:

[1] Rana Parekh, What is Depression?, American Psychiatric Association, (Jan 2017), https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression

[2] Joseph Goldberg, Types of Depression, WebMD, (Oct 16, 2018), https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/depression-types#1

[3] Mental Disorder cases doubled in less than 3 decades, anxiety and depression most common conditions, The Economic Times, (Dec 24, 2019), https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/mental-disorder-cases-doubled-in-less-than-3-decades-anxiety-and-depression-most-common-condition/articleshow/72950200.cms

[4] 89% Indians suffering from stress, but 75% not comfortable talking to professionals, LiveMint, (12 Jul 2018), https://www.livemint.com/Money/S7ybxJOAvsP5PJO2FxBhLO/89-Indians-suffering-from-stress-but-75-not-comfortable-t.html