Nimhans skeptical about WHO study

WHO says Indians depressed,asks Nimhans

Docs Of Top Mental Health Body Sceptical

Jayashree Nandi TNN

Bangalore: A World Health Organisation study may claim that India has the highest number of depressed people but the countrys leading mental health institution the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) has debunked the theory.
The WHO-sponsored study concluded that while around 9% of people in India reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime,nearly 36% suffered from what is called Major Depressive Episode (MDE).
But Dr S K Chaturvedi,professor and head of the department of psychiatry,Nimhans,told TOI: I think the figures in the study are highly inflated.If the criteria they are going by is based on the western populations,then its not suitable for India.In practice,we see few cases of MDE because the Indian families make for a very strong social support system.
He said: According to the study,then one-third of the country is depressed.I dont see so many sad people in India.In fact,Indians are more happy-go-lucky, he said.
Dr Chaturvedi said that most of the time these disorders can be treated without medication.Somatised depression (physically manifests as lower backache,headache or fatigue) is common in India.Dr Chaturvedi said that he would be sending a comment to the authors of the WHO report.
Dr B N Gangadhar,programme director,Advanced Centre for Yoga,Nimhans and professor of psychiatry,said,I dont know if the figures are so high.Then the amount of drugs sold for depression should have as been as high as other countries.Severe forms of depression in India are very uncommon.We see more of moderate to mild depression.We are seeing very good results with yoga and counselling among the depressed.Medicines are not prescribed unless it is a very severe form of depression, he said.
The health ministry recently sought details of the WHO-sponsored World Mental Health Survey Initiative.When the Times of India contacted the WHO office in Delhi,a representative said that the data is being revisited and reanalyzed.WHO will present their response to the health ministry soon.

Nimhans skeptical about WHO study

WHO says Indians depressed,asks Nimhans

Docs Of Top Mental Health Body Sceptical

Jayashree Nandi TNN

Bangalore: A World Health Organisation study may claim that India has the highest number of depressed people but the countrys leading mental health institution the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) has debunked the theory.
The WHO-sponsored study concluded that while around 9% of people in India reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime,nearly 36% suffered from what is called Major Depressive Episode (MDE).
But Dr S K Chaturvedi,professor and head of the department of psychiatry,Nimhans,told TOI: I think the figures in the study are highly inflated.If the criteria they are going by is based on the western populations,then its not suitable for India.In practice,we see few cases of MDE because the Indian families make for a very strong social support system.
He said: According to the study,then one-third of the country is depressed.I dont see so many sad people in India.In fact,Indians are more happy-go-lucky, he said.
Dr Chaturvedi said that most of the time these disorders can be treated without medication.Somatised depression (physically manifests as lower backache,headache or fatigue) is common in India.Dr Chaturvedi said that he would be sending a comment to the authors of the WHO report.
Dr B N Gangadhar,programme director,Advanced Centre for Yoga,Nimhans and professor of psychiatry,said,I dont know if the figures are so high.Then the amount of drugs sold for depression should have as been as high as other countries.Severe forms of depression in India are very uncommon.We see more of moderate to mild depression.We are seeing very good results with yoga and counselling among the depressed.Medicines are not prescribed unless it is a very severe form of depression, he said.
The health ministry recently sought details of the WHO-sponsored World Mental Health Survey Initiative.When the Times of India contacted the WHO office in Delhi,a representative said that the data is being revisited and reanalyzed.WHO will present their response to the health ministry soon.

Nimhans skeptical about WHO study

WHO says Indians depressed,asks Nimhans

Docs Of Top Mental Health Body Sceptical

Jayashree Nandi TNN

Bangalore: A World Health Organisation study may claim that India has the highest number of depressed people but the countrys leading mental health institution the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) has debunked the theory.
The WHO-sponsored study concluded that while around 9% of people in India reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime,nearly 36% suffered from what is called Major Depressive Episode (MDE).
But Dr S K Chaturvedi,professor and head of the department of psychiatry,Nimhans,told TOI: I think the figures in the study are highly inflated.If the criteria they are going by is based on the western populations,then its not suitable for India.In practice,we see few cases of MDE because the Indian families make for a very strong social support system.
He said: According to the study,then one-third of the country is depressed.I dont see so many sad people in India.In fact,Indians are more happy-go-lucky, he said.
Dr Chaturvedi said that most of the time these disorders can be treated without medication.Somatised depression (physically manifests as lower backache,headache or fatigue) is common in India.Dr Chaturvedi said that he would be sending a comment to the authors of the WHO report.
Dr B N Gangadhar,programme director,Advanced Centre for Yoga,Nimhans and professor of psychiatry,said,I dont know if the figures are so high.Then the amount of drugs sold for depression should have as been as high as other countries.Severe forms of depression in India are very uncommon.We see more of moderate to mild depression.We are seeing very good results with yoga and counselling among the depressed.Medicines are not prescribed unless it is a very severe form of depression, he said.
The health ministry recently sought details of the WHO-sponsored World Mental Health Survey Initiative.When the Times of India contacted the WHO office in Delhi,a representative said that the data is being revisited and reanalyzed.WHO will present their response to the health ministry soon.

I am distressed

A Psychological post-mortem(analysis of an individual's behaviour over a period of time)throws up some interesting findings...

There's adolescent crisis when raging hormones,peer pressure and academic pressure give teenagers the blues.
Then follows the quarter-life crisis when at 25-35, an educated employee on his /her way up the ladder of success begins to question the point of it all...
Mid-life crisis hits you at between 40-55 where you try to be younger than you are, and to feel young you try to attract people much younger than you by doing whatever it takes. A 40 something married man may buy a swanky car to attract a woman young enough to be his daughter...
Old age is reserved for depression and loneliness

When a person enters adolescence, a lot of changes take place. The hormones start multiplying and Psychological coping takes a bit of time.The hormonal changes and the changes that occur in the physiology due to puberty can create a volatile mix of emotions.

Stress is a part of life. There's good stress and bad stress. When stress is greater than coping ability then it becomes bad stress.learn to live with stress or else
Lead a simple life...


The no of suicides are going UP!
this past week was a shocker ...
A 23 year old hanged himself to death in the Khargar hills, priyanka Gandhi Vadra's father-in-law is alleged to have killed himself in a delhi hotel, An Asian gumen shots down 13 people before turning the gun on himself in New York, A US father kills 5 children and himself in a shoot out, Suicide bombers kill 30 worshippers in Pakistan...

It's so very distressing to read such news everyday.
Suicide affects everyone cutting accross caste, creed, sex, religion, economic status etc. It happens when pain exceeds the limit that our coping skills allow us to cope with.That is why we must make it a point to develop coping skills at a very young age.Parents must be able to say no to their child. More than material goods that children demand, it's love, attention and emotional support that the child requires and needs and parents must understand this.It's as important to have sex education in schools as it is to have stress education in all walks of life(including educational institutions and organisation)

The rising incidents of suicides accross age groups- increasing cases of clinical depression, low tolerance threshold, the increasing quest for spirituality, yoga and meditation are manifestations of the fact that today's population is dealing with crisis at all times.

The financial slump in the world markets has definitely increased the levels of stress accross the world.The thoughless and highly provocative nature of dismissing employees by serving them with pink slips

But amidst all that gloom was a heartening story
a facebook friend who lives in Maryland, USA saved a teenager from succumbing to suicide by alerting the Oxford Police from accross the globe. The girl's parents managed to contact the Maryland police who alerted the British embassy and police and para-professionals along with an ambulance finally managed to get to Oxford within three hours of the alert to find the boy unconscious. He was later taken to hospital and is now recovering at home after having been discharged. Isn't this phenomenal... what these social networking sites and communication technology can really achieve if put to good use!


Here are some interesting stats that was printed in the DNA

35-50 million people are afflicted by clinical depression
One in every five Indians will experience clinical depression at some point in their lives.
WHO predicts that depression will be the second most common disease by 2020.
Women are more vulnerable when it comes to suicides, with the ratio of wmen to men committing suicide is 2:1
emotional support,