Ten per cent of the city’s population is suffering from depression. The Suicide Prevention Centre, Jeevan, has revealed it in a survey. Officials of the centre said that an increasing number of young people are today falling prey to depression which is a major concern of the society today.
As the city observed World Hypertension Day ( May 17) on Thursday, experts opined that modern stressful lifestyle is the prime reason for increasing ailments.
He said that said that the centre has come across a table containing 25 questions. If one answers the questions honestly and evaluates the total score obtained, he can know his depression level. The table has been reproduced for public welfare from the famous book, Feeling Good by Dr. David Burns. This will also clear your doubts, if any in this regard he added. He said that during their studies they have concluded that 10 per cent of the city's population is suffering from depression. “A hectic lifestyle that causes stress plays a major role in responding all the diseases whether it is diabetes or brain stroke. Both mental as well as physical stress are responsible for the early onset(in 30s and even 20s) of the diseases which were earlier considered the diseases of the elderly,” said Dr U K Srivastava. Dr Mahabir Ram, founder of Jeevan, a city-based suicide prevention centre, said that stress is the major concern of the society. The pressure to perform well in life is leading people towards stress. Stress leads to depression and that ultimate result in suicide.
“A hectic lifestyle that causes stress plays a major role in responding all the diseases whether it is diabetes or brain stroke. Both mental as well as physical stress is responsible for the early onset of the diseases. One must consult a psychiatric on time,” noted Dr Ram.
"I think we need to change our perceptive about education. The students are taught only about bookish knowledge and not about the values and moral lessons. Example engineering students are taught much about engines, motion and conservation of fuel but nothing about the person driving the engine. Similarly, everyone talks about self-respect, self-control but nothing is taught about knowing the self," said Dr Jeoraj Jain, director, Jeevan, Jamshedpur, stressing among the students to look within and try to know themselves by practising meditation regularly.
He said that a number of psychological problems such as depression and anxiety are also becoming common in the age group of 20 to 40 years. The pressure to perform on the professional front, insecure relationships, pressure to meet the increasing expenses of maintaining a hi-fi lifestyle, etc cause a lot of mental turmoil among the young.