Study Reveals Our Mental Health Crisis But No One’s Batting an Eye
The burden of self-harm and suicides, depressive disorders, and anxiety disorders is growing fast across India.
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“You just have to be happier and a little less dramatic,” is what people tend to tell other people suffering from mental health issues in India. It’s 2017 and many of us refuse to take the problem seriously. So, here’s a national study that puts it front and centre and shows data that should shake us up.
The burden of self-harm and suicides, depressive disorders and anxiety disorders is growing across India, especially in the literate and urbanised states, shows the country's first state-level disease study published in The Lancet on 14 November.
The study measured the leading causes of disability as well as loss of healthy life years, among other things. Among the leading causes of disability in India:
While under the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), or lost years of healthy life, in 2016:
On this list of leading casues of DALYs, depressive and anxiety disorders are at 21 and 26 respectively, with ischaemic heart disease ranking number 1.
Anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and self-harm are all interconnected issues. Anxiety disorders can progress to depression, which is then a leading cause of self-harm and suicide.
Depression and anxiety disorders are crippling and can cause disability, and even hit economic production.
This overall health loss index has been put together after evaluating the impact of different diseases and injuries by taking into account both premature mortality and disability in one combined measure: disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), or lost years of healthy life.
The Neglected Mental Health Crisis
The report clearly states what mental health experts have been screaming from the rooftops. India is in the midst of a mental health crisis.
India is known as the suicide capital of the world and has 63,000 annual suicides in the age group of 10-24 according to data released in 2013.
Self-harm and cutting has become increasingly common among teens in the country. Although it’s difficult to gather concrete data to show this, various studies have established it.
Speaking to The Quint, Dr Amit Sen, Child Psychiatrist, says that this is a result of increasing mental health issues, like depression and anxiety, in children as well as adults.
The State-Wise Pattern of Mental Health
Experts say that urbanisation is a contributor to higher levels of anxiety disorders and depression. The study displays this trend as well.
One of the categories they’ve divided the data into is EAG states (socioeconomically backward states), north-eastern states and other states.
Maharashtra, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala are among 10 states that have more problems due to anxiety disorders than the rest of the country, said the study.
“You just have to be happier and a little less dramatic,” is what people tend to tell other people suffering from mental health issues in India. It’s 2017 and many of us refuse to take the problem seriously. So, here’s a national study that puts it front and centre and shows data that should shake us up.
The burden of self-harm and suicides, depressive disorders and anxiety disorders is growing across India, especially in the literate and urbanised states, shows the country's first state-level disease study published in The Lancet on 14 November.
The study measured the leading causes of disability as well as loss of healthy life years, among other things. Among the leading causes of disability in India:
While under the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), or lost years of healthy life, in 2016:
On this list of leading casues of DALYs, depressive and anxiety disorders are at 21 and 26 respectively, with ischaemic heart disease ranking number 1.
Anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and self-harm are all interconnected issues. Anxiety disorders can progress to depression, which is then a leading cause of self-harm and suicide.
Depression and anxiety disorders are crippling and can cause disability, and even hit economic production.
This overall health loss index has been put together after evaluating the impact of different diseases and injuries by taking into account both premature mortality and disability in one combined measure: disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), or lost years of healthy life.
The Neglected Mental Health Crisis
The report clearly states what mental health experts have been screaming from the rooftops. India is in the midst of a mental health crisis.
India is known as the suicide capital of the world and has 63,000 annual suicides in the age group of 10-24 according to data released in 2013.
Self-harm and cutting has become increasingly common among teens in the country. Although it’s difficult to gather concrete data to show this, various studies have established it.
Speaking to The Quint, Dr Amit Sen, Child Psychiatrist, says that this is a result of increasing mental health issues, like depression and anxiety, in children as well as adults.
The State-Wise Pattern of Mental Health
Experts say that urbanisation is a contributor to higher levels of anxiety disorders and depression. The study displays this trend as well.
One of the categories they’ve divided the data into is EAG states (socioeconomically backward states), north-eastern states and other states.
Maharashtra, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala are among 10 states that have more problems due to anxiety disorders than the rest of the country, said the study.
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Published: 21 Nov 2017,07:04 PM IST