Under threat, India needs to battle the ailment
Hindi film actor Deepika Padukone's recent admission that she had suffered from depression and emerged from the nightmare with the help of medicines and psychiatric counselling, has yet again brought the spotlight on one of the most misunderstood aliments of modern day and on the unfortunate fact that India is the ‘most depressed' country in the world. A recent World Health Organisation study found an estimated 35.9 per cent of Indians have had a major depressive episode in their lifetime, as compared to just 12 per cent of Chinese. This figure is only a reflection of the number of reported cases. Given the social stigma attached and the lack of knowledge about the ailment — thereby leading many to even fail to spot depression, much less report it — the actual number will be far higher.
Notably, the average percentage of serious depression is greater in high-income countries, at 28.1 per cent, compared to 19.8 per cent in low-income states. India, as a middle-income country, should have featured somewhere in the mid-20s percentage bracket. That it, instead, tops the list, only underlines the gravity of the problem. Another indicator of India's overwhelming mental health challenge is this statistic: India's suicide rate, especially in the 15 to 29-year-old age group, is the highest in the world, with about one lakh people killing themselves every year. Moreover, an ailment of this kind affects not just one patient but his or her family, friends and co-workers as well. In extreme cases, un-treated people are known to have become violent and gone on a terrifying rampage.
India needs to address head-on, the common misconceptions associated with mental health issues. For example, many people assume that those who are depressed or have other such ailments are either ‘weak' or ‘crazy'. This makes patients reluctant to even acknowledge that they have a problem, forget about seeking help. This is especially damaging in mental health cases because a personal support system is crucial to a patient's recovery and well-being — a fact that was highlighted in 2011 tragically when the two Noida sisters were found starving themselves to death, and in a less tragic way, by Deepika Padukone herself.
Another myth, about depression particularly, is that it only afflicts those who have either ‘failed' in life or have had a ‘troubled' past. That a popular film star like Deepika Padukone could have suffered, that too at the height of her career, should help correct that flawed perception. A large-scale public awareness campaign is necessary to sensitise society towards mental health issues. The Government also needs to take a comprehensive view of the problem. In this regard, the state’s decision to de-criminalise suicide bids is welcome. Also, the first national mental health policy, which was unveiled in October 2014, providing a far more humane perspective to the problem, is a step in the right direction.