PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION AND WAYS TO COPE WITH IT.

Mental Health is an important part of overall health and well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It may also affect how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices during an emergency.
In our society, it can be seen that there is a negligence to mental health as World Health Organisation (WHO) Suicide rate Report says that India recorded the most number of deaths by suicide in the world with 220,481 deaths in 2018. The main reason being Mental Health Disorder under which major reason is DEPRESSION. 

WHAT IS DEPRESSION?

• Depression ( major depressive disorder or clinical depression is a common but serious mood disorder.

             

• It causes symptoms that affects how you feel , think and handle daily activities such as sleeping , eating or working.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

• Persistent sad, anxious or empty mood.
• Feeling of hopelessness or pessimism.
• Irritability.
• Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies, and activities.
• Decreased energy.
• Appetite and/or weight changes.
• Digestive problems without a clear, physical cause that do not ease with treatment.
• Feeling restless.
• Difficulty in concentrating and remembering.
• Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping.
• Thought of death or suicide or suicide attempts.

CAUSES OF DEPRESSION FOR A STUDENT.

• Aspirants for various competitive exams face challenges , pressures and anxiety that can cause them to feel overwhelmed.
• Final year students feel anxious thinking about their grades, job placements and career opportunities.
• Time spend on activities such as social media.
• Money and intimate relationships also serve as major source of stress.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU EXPERIENCE SUCH SYMPTOMS?

1.  Talk to family, friends and share your problems.
2. If you are not comfortable sharing with your closed ones , consult a Psychiatrist.
3. If there is no Psychiatrist around you, approach Helplines that is concerned with Mental Health Disorder and its prevention. The person on the other side can guide you how to cope with the problem whether  you must consult a Doctor or not.

Following are some Helpline Numbers providing assistance across the country -

1. NIMHANS ( NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH AND NEUROSCIENCES )- 08046110007
2. AASRA - 09820466726.
3. Vandravela Foundation - 1860 - 266- 2345.
4. Saath - 07926305544.
5. Sahai - 080 - 25497777.

TREATMENT 

 

It may include -

• Medicines such as antidepressants.
• A type of therapy called Psychotherapy or Talk Therapy that involves a talking relationship between the therapist and the patient.

CORONAVIRUS AND DEPRESSION.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be stressful for people. Fear and anxiety about a new disease and what could happen can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Public health actions, such as social distancing, can make people feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety. The outbreak of the new coronavirus has affected many areas of daily life including mental health. With the sudden disruption of our routines and the new norm of social distancing , life as we knew has dramatically transformed in a matter of weeks. We are facing the stress of the news, its impact on our career, finances and livelihood altogether putting us at risk for depression during the coronavirus outbreak.

HOW TO AVOID DEPRESSION AMIDST THE PANDEMIC?

We are lucky to have internet, social media , Television and other entertainment sources in today's date. There was a time where the lock - downs were imposed and that too frequently. However during that time, people did not have any access to social media or the internet hence it was difficult for the people to overcome loneliness.

After the outbreak of COVID - 19 , it is important  for all of us who are at homes to take this time as an opportunity. This is the time to know oneself , devote time for our hobbies and do something creative. We can take up some activities which we weren't able to do earlier due to lack of time.  These can be reading a book, painting or learning a course. Nowadays there are many platforms on the internet like edX, Coursera, Google offering free courses and certificates from a variety of streams.

It is true that during this time, the primary sources to get information is social media and news in TV, But it is advised not to get oneself engrossed to news from all the states in the country and around the globe because it can make our mind stressed out , as there are negative news with the positive.

There are various exams which has been postponed due to lock - down but all these exams will be held in a rapid manner once the situation stabilizes. So for students, this time is very crucial for preparation. 

We can utilize this time to enhance our-self, to develop our personality and improve our lifestyle.

 As a student , one should be focused on the goal, devote time for preparations. Successful people have converted their loneliness into isolation. the difference between loneliness and isolation is that loneliness is a mental state that troubles a person, when he or she wants to talk to people but they are unable to do so, whereas isolation can give peace and happiness because it is a choice and helps us to discover our talent and passion.

This could be an opportunity to think about what you value or really want to do with your life. If you look at this period as intentional practice of not going out to restaurants and bars, you may realize you can thrive without those routines.

JOB LOSSES DUE TO COVID - 19 PANDEMIC IN INDIA

     India imposed one of the strictest lock-downs in the world to contain the spread of COVID-19. This resulted in a near- complete shutdown of all economic activity in April, 2020 with gradual partial lifting of restrictions throughout the month of May. The obvious effect of this lock-down was a massive increase in unemployment. According to data from Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) , the average number of employed persons between March 2019 and March 2020 , in one year before the lock-down was 403 million. Whereas in April, 2020 ,  this number came down to over 282 million, around 28 crore which is a 30% drop.

 WHAT IS UNEMPLOYMENT RATE?

Unemployment is measured by the unemployment rate as the number of people who are unemployed as a percentage of the labour force (the total number of people employed added to those unemployed).

 

Unemployment Rate = Number of people seeking jobs in vain and not getting / Number of people seeking jobs

It is the indicator of the failure of the society for the provision of jobs to the people who are seeking.

According to the CMIE, the unemployment rate in India is 27% after the outbreak of the COVID- 19. Due to the lock-down from 25th March to curb COVID - 19 infections , there has been mass layoffs and heavy job losses. 

This is evident from the scenes of the desperate migrant workers , particularly daily wage earners , fleeing to their own village because they lost their jobs and have no money left to feed their families and themselves.

According to estimates based on National Sample Survey (NSS) and Periodic Labour Force ( PLFS) , about 136 million non - agricultural jobs are at risk. The worst case scenario is for employees who dont have a regular salary. Private sector jobs are also at risk like in airlines , there will be 30% pay-cut. The coronavirus situation will only exacerbate unemployment.

Most affected are the ones in the informal sector who don't have a written contract and these include casual labourers , those who work in non - registered nano business, registered small companies and even the self-employed. They can be fired  without notice. Most daily - wage earners fall in this bracket.

DATA AND STATISTICS

In India , 136 million workers in non - agricultural sector , have no contracts and remain the most vulnerable in the aftermath of the corona outbreak.

• 28 million have no written job contracts in manufacturing.
• 49 million in non - manufacturing services.
• 59 million in services.
• 5 million Indians have job contracts less than a year in tenure.

SECTORS AFFECTED DUE TO LOCK-DOWN

1. CONSTRUCTION - Many of the informal workers work in construction. Employment in real estates construction will be impacted because housing launches and sales will go down due to low economic growth.

2. AUTOMOBILE - Due to falling sales, automobile industry was going down. The industry can lose up-to a million jobs like salesman , semi - skilled workers, dealers.

3. AVIATION - Around 600,000 ground and support roles on contract in the aviation industry are at risk. Already there is 30% -  40% pay-cut in salary.

4. TEXTILES - This industry employs 18 million people whose jobs are at risk due to falling demand.

5. LEATHER - It is a labour - intensive job means there are lot of people employed in this. But due to lock - down , since the shops , malls are closed , so there is no sale hence the work is stopped. Also India's Leather export consignment projects has come to a halt.

6. SERVICES - 31% of India's employed population is working on the services sector. It is a dominant sector for India's GDP. Services sector covers trade, Hotel and management, transport , restaurants and real estate. The work here has been shut down due to lock - down and since there is no income, they had to lay - off their employees as a result of inability to pay salaries.

7. TOURISM - This includes guides , parking contractors , cleaners , waiters in restaurants , suppliers of vegetables , meat and flowers to the hotels. There can be a loss of 20 million jobs if recovery in the industry stretches beyond October,2020. 

8. CREATIVE AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY - Shooting is stopped that is affecting the jobs of 10 million people employed here.

Due to COVID - 19 lock-down , three - quarters of workers (some 1.6 billion people) engaged in the informal economy have suffered massive damage to the capacity to earn a living. About 90% of India's total workforce are engaged in the informal sector. Only 3%are engaged in the public sector or the Government sector. Another 7% in private formal sector.

The risk of unemployment is very high in the informal sector because the nature of the employment is different from that of formal sectors workers. Further, without alternative income, these workers and their families would have no means to survive. 

WHO LOST EMPLOYMENT IN 2020?

• Small traders and laborers - 91%( 9 crore)
• Entrepreneurs - 18.2% ( 1.8 crore)
• Salaried employees - 17.8% (1.7 crore)
• Farmers - 5.8% (58 lakhs).

SUGGESTIONS

• Urgent targeted and flexible measures to support workers and businesses those in the informal economy and others who are vulnerable.
• Measures for economic reactivation should follow a job - rich approach , backed by stronger employment policies  and institutions, better - resourced and comprehensive social protection system.
• Debt relief measured can be critical in making recovery effective and sustainable.
• Stimulating the economy and employment by lending and financial support to sectors affected.
• Protecting workers in the workplace by providing health access to all and expanding access to paid leave.
• Supporting enterprises , jobs and incomes by providing financial/tax and other relief for enterprises.