Fighting Depression Using Empathy

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.