The frightening increase in the number of people with depression disorder across the globe, particularly India, is a cause of great worry. Depression is a serious mood disorder which can cripple the day-to-day activities of the affected. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in its recent report pertaining to the year 2015, “Depression and other common mental disorders”, has directly linked suicide and anxiety to depressive disorders. The statistics are chilling because they bring out the fact that one person commits suicide every forty seconds in India. Interestingly, the WHO report has said that the lower and middle income group countries—–South East Asia and West Pacific—-have been more prone to depression and its consequences. Approximately, five crore Indians suffer from depression and thirty six percent of the Indian population have symptoms of depression at any point. Stress, ambitious lifestyle, major life changes, excessive family and peer pressure are all triggers to depressive tendencies. No causative factors have been linked to some depressed individuals.
The government of India’s allocation of funds to tackle depression is meagre. The gravity of the situation can be gauged by the fact that the key players in identifying and managing depression—psychologists, psychiatrists and psychiatric social workers are far less than the required professional: patient ratio. Many depressed individuals are “subsyndromal” —they do not exhibit much symptoms—–so catching them early on is quite vital. The Mental Health Care Bill, 2016 which has the potential to be a gamechanger in the Mental Health Care arena in India is yet to receive the parliament’s nod. The Bill proposes to change the very definition of Mental illness including the methods and access to treatment, and importantly decriminalise attempt to suicide related to stress. A “helping hand” is what a depressed human-being requires. Even as medications, psychotherapy and brain stimulation therapies continue to be active in dealing with depression, a holistic approach where self education, family support and conducive atmosphere act as shoulders for a depressed person to lean on should be created.
