Depression Kills
Monday morning shocker came
in the form of a news – 36 year old TV presenter with a national news media
television channel committed suicide by jumping off her residential building,
leaving behind a 14 year old differently abled son. Radhika
Reddy who had been recently divorced from her husband, reportedly left
behind a suicide note that clearly indicated that she was suffering from acute
depression. Radhika, who was also a millennial, took the extreme step of
self-harm that snuffed life out of her at a time when she was in her prime
years.
What could drive a
successful professional like Radhika to take such extreme step?
Analysis
of suicide note left behind by Radhika, that read ‘mind was her biggest enemy’,
by experts from Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Erragadda, revealed that Radhika might have immersed in
multiple thought processes which she couldn’t control and, due to the
depressive disorder, she might have ended her life.
Radhika is not an isolated
case of depression related self-harm. The statistics of depression related
suicides is scary among youngsters.
When Arjun Bharadwaj a 19
year old student committed suicide by jumping off a high rise hotel in Mumbai
last year, the statistics rolled out once again. Between 2011 and 2015, i.e. in
a span of 5 years 40000
students had committed suicide. Most of them depression related deaths.
Arjun Bharadwaj was reportedly struggling with poor exam results and also
battling a drug addiction.
According to the 2012 Lancet report
India has one of the world’s highest suicide rates for youth aged 15 to 29.
Unfortunately around the
world, suicides claims
more lives than war, murder, and natural disasters combined. Currently, suicide
is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Over 50 percent of
all people who die by suicide suffer from major depression. If alcoholics who
are depressed are included then this figure rises to over 75 percent.
SAMHSA
reports that in 2016, 9.8 million US adults had serious thoughts about
committing suicide, 2.8 million adults made suicide plans and 1.3 million
adults attempted suicide.
Depression is the leading
cause of ill health and disability worldwide. According to the latest estimates
from world Health Organization (WHO), more than 300
million people are now living with depression.
Paradoxical Life of New Gen and Emergence of Depression
Millennials (Gen Y) and now
even Generation Z (born 2000 or after) are the ones who are affected by
depression the most. Various reasons ranging from exam stress to back-breaking
professional demands, failed relationships, financial stress, unrealistic
expectations and unmet aspirations etc. are cause of rising depression among
young.
The new generation lives a
‘paradoxical life’. In my latest book. ‘The Life of Y: Engaging Millennials as
Employees and Consumers’, I have outlined, based on my research
findings, as to how mutually conflicting and opposing demands on their lives
makes them more vulnerable to stress and depression. The emergence of paradoxes
in their lives, which in most cases millennials have no choice but to live with
them, has resulted in a dip in their wellness. Material wellness, Social
Wellness, Physiological Wellness and Emotional Wellness all are on the wane
resulting in ‘reversal of their happiness quotient’. The effect of this
reversal is often catastrophic. More than anything it impacts the mental
health, resulting in depression. The result of this depression is often
suicides, hypertension, coronary diseases.
In less than 7 years from
now millennials will make close to 75% of the world’s working population. Are
we going to hand over the reins of this world to a generation that is battling
with depression or are we going to do something about it and help them deal
with stress and emerge out of it unscathed and unscarred?
Understand, Not Blame
How to deal with this rising
depression is often a question that is asked in various forums. In most such
forums I have seen that the blame ultimately points towards government and its’
abysmal budgetary allocations on mental health. That is not completely untrue.
India currently spends 0.06% of
its health budget on mental health, which is less than Bangladesh (0.44%). Most
developed nations spend above 4% of their budgets on mental-health research,
infrastructure, frameworks and talent pool (WHO, 2011). This means there is
acute shortage of mental health professionals. According to IndiaSpend report
of 2016, there is India endures an 87% shortage of mental-health professionals.
Experts analysing Radhika’s
suicide also stated that Radhika had followed psychological
therapy properly, this would not have happened. Depression these days
is 100% curable. This is really sad.
Proliferation of mental
health professionals can definitely deal with more depression related cases and
save previous young minds and their lives. That would need more governmental
budgetary allocations.
While such a solution seems
to be the most immediate one needed to deal with depression, government or
mental health professionals cannot alone be the panacea for this ever-growing
and alarming ‘epidemic’.
I have often realized that
many of such depression related suicides are preventable if there was one
‘significant other’ in the lives of those who chose to take the extreme step,
who could truly understand them, without judging them or blaming them.
Often
the ones who can help such depressed people are at arm’s reach. However lack of
understanding often makes them feel that they are alone in their battle and
somehow see a dead-end from where turning back I impossible. That perceived dead-end
often is an end to the road of their lives too.
Younger generation live a
different life than ours and there is a need to understand the complexities of
their paradoxical life. Understanding is the precursor to engaging them and
keeping their minds and hearts connected and intact. Through my research and my
writings I have only tried to create this deep empathy about the younger
generation who I feel is largely misunderstood. I have a vision to see that the
society and the agencies understand the new generation better and in the right
way, paving a way for healthier and engaged world where depression has no
place, except in the Oxford English dictionary.
Radhika would have alive
today and many more like Radhika who killed themselves had we tried to
understand them a little better and help them deal with their depression. But
for that we need to educate ourselves a bit more on the #thelifeofY and
#thelifeofZ.
Each one of us can make a
difference for there can be one like Radhika or Arjun near us – in our family,
among our friends or peers. Look around and see if you can show a better
understanding and help a young mind come out of depression.
A bit of understanding goes
a long way in beating depression.
