Breaking the stigma

With actress Deepika Padukone coming out in the open about her bout of depression recently, many windows seem to have opened. At least there are some who are now gathering courage to talk about how they have also gone through such episodes. However, there is still a vast majority who are living in denial or are not aware of the magnitude of this problem. 

Doctors in the City say that depression has various manifestations. It can strike just about anybody at any age. But many people fear talking about it or seeking help because of the social stigma attached to it.

Tasneem Nakhoda, a psychotherapist at the Tattva Counseling Centre in Koramangala, observes that sadness and depression are two different things and those affected with depression find it hard to carry on with a normal life. “Children and teenagers can experience depression due to genetic reasons, loss of a loved one, separation of parents and peer pressure. Adults can experience major depression with symptoms of low energy, low self-esteem and poor appetite. It can manifest as stress or irritability,” reasons Tasneem.

The recent crash of Germanwings, whose co-pilot was said to have been suffering from depression, has also thrown light on the issue.

Tasneem points out that getting effective treatment is crucial. “The sooner the treatment begins, sooner the person is likely to recover. The family must understand the kind of depression and seek appropriate treatment for the same,” she says. “They must develop skills and craft a personal self-care plan that includes positive lifestyle changes to relieve and prevent later bouts of depression,” she adds.

In recent times, there have been many cases of suicides happening among the young. This highlights the need to focus on the mental health of young people too. Mahesh Prasad, a counsellor, who visits schools and colleges, says youngsters who come for counselling for various reasons don’t want to come to terms with reality, “They don’t want to face facts. They hit rock bottom the moment we tell them the truth. They have to undergo a whole personality change which most people are not willing to do. Some are rebellious and don’t want change at first. It takes several rounds of counselling to get them to fall in line with the mode of treatment,” reasons Mahesh.

Dr Chittaranjan Andrade, professor and head, department of psychopharmacology, NIMHANS observes that everybody suffers from anxiety, depression, and other mood or behavioural disturbances. “To qualify as a psychiatric diagnosis, the symptoms must form a characteristic cluster and they must be out of proportion to the stress in duration and severity. They must cause distress to the person who is suffering or to the people in his or her environment,” he states. Dr Andrade adds, “There is usually disturbance of sleep and appetite. Attention, concentration, motivation, drive and work performance are impaired,” he states.   

He urges that the severe the depression, the more important it is for the patient to come in for treatment early. “Persons can deal with depression based on their innate coping capacities; the emotional and material support that they receive from family and friends,” he states.

Dr Roshan Jain, Senior Consultant – Psychiatry,
Apollo Hospitals says depression among youngsters and professionals could also be related to work pressure and meeting tight deadlines. He thinks the first step towards fighting this is to strike a balance between work and home.

“Stop carrying work home, and learn to prioritise life and work in equal measure. Most people are struggling to strike that delicate balance between work and home. This is causing a lot of anxiety and stress. Extended hours of work add to it all,” he states. 

He observes that depression also affects quality time with family leading to discord and disruption in relationship. “I’ve noticed that a lot of young people have begun seeking help and are making efforts to understand the problem and get treatment for the same,” he sums up.