The Mental Health Day takes place every year on October 10 with an aim to educate and spread awareness of mental health issues in people all around the world. The day as we all know was set up by the World Federation for Mental Health and it was first celebrated in 1992. Suicide prevention was the primary focus for the 2019 theme for World Mental Day commemorated a few days ago.
Every 40 seconds, someone loses their life to suicide somewhere in the world. Experts lay emphasis on “40 seconds of action” to raise awareness of the scale of suicide around the world and the role that each of us can play to help prevent it.
The acronym WAIT is cited to help with suicide prevention. W — watch out for signs of distress and uncharacteristic behaviour. A — ask “are you having suicidal thoughts?” I — it will pass — assure your loved one that, with help, their suicidal feelings will pass with time. Do not be judgemental. T — talk to others — encourage your loved one to seek help from a general practitioner or health professional.
According to WHO data, the age standardised suicide rate in India is 16.4 per 1,00,000 for women (6th highest in the world) and 25.8 per cent for men (ranked 22nd). Having said that, you shouldn’t always assume that someone suffering from mental illness is also suicidal — but it makes it clear that more needs to be done.
Depression is claimed to be a major mental health illness leading to suicide. It is most indiscriminatory in its action and can affect anyone irrespective of gender, caste or creed, be they businessmen, lawyers, doctors, reality stars or sportsperson. Yet it’s rarely spoken of or discussed, and is still considered a taboo with stigma attached to it even as it threatens to continue to strike men women and children unless we all stop and take notice, now.
Depression and mental illness are still not talked about in the open because of the stigma attached to them but the sad reality is that more than 300 million people are falling prey to it.
Depression is ranked by WHO as the single largest contributor to global disability. It is also the major contributor to suicide deaths. Worldwide, depression increased by 18 per cent from 2005 to 2015.
A recent WHO report describes India as the most depressed country in the world, leaving USA and China behind.
The maximum cases of anxiety, schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorders were found in India, with most cases going unreported. With 6.5 per cent of the population suffering from some form of mental illness, this goes on to prove that there is a huge gap between patients and mental health care professionals to be filled.
The ratio is quite staggering, with 1 doctor for every 1,00,000 patients.
The report also threw light on another disturbing fact. Almost 80 per cent people diagnosed with mental sickness do not seek any kind of treatment and there are 150 million more who need access to therapy and this is projected to increase by 20 per cent by 2020.
If left undiagnosed and untreated, depression can cause many problems, especially in adolescent cases. The consequences of not addressing adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults.
How does depression affect the mind?
Let me try to explain this in simple language. The brain is normally equipped for handling any stressful situation by releasing a high level of dopamine which then put the person back to normal functioning. However, when extreme depression hits the part of the brain which controls emotions and motivation - the limbic system- the dopamine production decreases making it hard for the brain to process the negativity and depression sets in gradually.
There is cure for depression today with support and therapy being the most effective cures for depression along with medications according to a doctor’s advice. However it is often confused with sadness and mistaken as a passing low phase in life. People experiencing depression may have intense emotions of anxiety, hopelessness, negativity helplessness and worthlessness. Family members should get alert if they notice signs of severe depression, such as alcohol or drug abuse, sleep disturbance, thoughts of death or suicide or suicide attempts.
Some shocking stats regarding depression according to WHO reveal that one in six people aged 10-19 years is suffering from depression. Mental health conditions account for 16 per cent of the global burden of disease and injury in people aged 10-19 years. Half of all mental health conditions start by the age of 14 years and most cases are undetected and untreated. Globally, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-19-year-olds. The consequences of not addressing adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults. Mental health promotion and prevention are keys to helping adolescents thrive
We need to remember that our mental health is very important for our holistic well-being and it is as important as our physical health. To maintain a good mental health we need to focus on a few important facts like talking about your feelings and sharing them with friends. This is called ventilation of our feelings. Exercise is a must for both — a good mental health as well as a good physical health.
One also needs to eat well and be well hydrated. One must keep in touch with loved ones and ask for help whenever one needs it. Take a break from your daily routine, do not make it monotonous. Do something you’re good at, cultivate your hobby. Accept who you are and love yourself while also accepting others for who they are and caring for them. One should also develop an attitude of gratitude.
Adolescents are the most stressed today and suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-19-year-olds. Why are adolescents so stressed? Some of the main reasons/influences that I can find are exam or academic stress, competition—peer pressure and attempt to excel in everything, relationship issues — break-ups or marital issues, financial hardships and problems, influence of social media in our life — comparisons, cyber bullying, depression etc.
How can we save our children from these negative influences in their life?
Parents should be friends to their children—not their teacher or boss at home. Let your child share his experiences and problems with you unhesitatingly. Communicate with your child. Do not ask them closed questions which have a yes or no for an answer—let them talk freely and openly and discuss everything with you;keep it a two-way communication between you and him. Do not criticise, complain, advice or give him long lectures but listen to him and let them talk. Appreciate your child- for everything—his past achievements, his good qualities and his strengths. These reminders will make him overcome his present state of feeling low and stressed and keep him motivated to try again.
Teachers should remember that they are like a parent for the child in school. Be kind, appreciative, helpful and motivating. Do not criticise, compare or ridicule the child.
This can have hazardous repercussions on the child’s mental health. Be empathetic — remember every child is different and has a different intellectual capacity and a different emotional stability to cope. Learn to recognise the stress symptoms in a child and take his parents into confidence.
Send him for medical help if you feel he needs it. Remember you are a role model for the children. Keep your stress levels in control. A stressed teacher can never have stress-free children in the class as stress is a contagious entity which passes on to the children from stressed teachers or stressed parents or stressed peers.
It is also important to remember that it’s okay to not be okay at times — and we can all learn/educate ourselves to overcome these low phases in our or our children’s life adaptively and move on in life —happily and thankfully
(A neuro psychologist based in Dehradun, the author is also founder of crisis helpline)
