However arguable, depression is largely an urban phenomenon. So, when millions of new age Indians stepped into the millennia, the lack of seriousness about mental health was made evident time and over. This is not the first instance that India has appeared on top of the list that features most depressed countries. You might expect America to top the list, reckoning how concerned they are about their mental health. It might come off as a shocker that to most that every 6th Indian is going through some sort of mental illness. India has left behind China and America to come on the top.
Mainly, the mental troubles which made us reach the list are cases of schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder; most of the cases go unreported.
Depression is still not talked about on a big scale in India. The number of people who understand mental trouble and consider it as illness are very few. The misunderstood sufferers of mental health issues are only going up and especially it has reached on a concerning level. Globally, over 300 million people have fallen prey to depression and still in India, it is confused with ‘sickness’ and ‘madness’. It is still a taboo. That is the reason why large number of cases are never reported.
Mainly, the mental troubles which made us reach the list are cases of schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder; most of the cases go unreported.
Depression is still not talked about on a big scale in India. The number of people who understand mental trouble and consider it as illness are very few. The misunderstood sufferers of mental health issues are only going up and especially it has reached on a concerning level. Globally, over 300 million people have fallen prey to depression and still in India, it is confused with ‘sickness’ and ‘madness’. It is still a taboo. That is the reason why large number of cases are never reported.
The stats provided by WHO report that 6.5% of Indians are depressed enough to highlight the huge gap there is between mental healthcare professionals and patient. The ratio is overwhelming, with just 1 doctor for every 1 lakh patient.
Unavailability of enough mental healthcare professionals is one of the reasons that suicide rate in India is as high as 10.9 for every 1,00,000 people. The reports bring in light a fact that is really disturbing – around 80% of the people who get diagnosed by any mental illness do not seek any professional help. This means there are 150 million people in India who are in the need for medical help. The huge number is concerning but it is only going to go up by the year 2020.
One thing we Indian refuse to comprehend is that untreated and undiagnosed depression is a much bigger problem than we think it to be, especially in adolescent. The consequences of refusing to address the mental health issues impair both mental as well and the physical health of the person. It also limits the opportunities of an individual to lead a fulfilling life