An offhand suggestion

India's Ministry of Health Twitter handle, which has made unsubstantiated claims before, was at it again with an insensitive post on depression. An 'advisory' by the Ministry to people battling depression to try remedies such as multi-vitamins and fruits has been slammed by health experts for being 'naive and inadequate.'

If long walks and multi-vitamins can treat the ailment which World Health Organization describes as the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide, then this world would have not seen all those suicides and murders owing to this ailment. Depression is not just a mood swing but a mental health ailment. Depression is a disease and not a behavioural problem.

If one knows something about depression it is hard not to miss some of the inherent ironies in the post. It promotes the idea that depression is well within the control of the sufferer, and merely a lifestyle twist could solve the issue. India is one of the world's worst sufferers in this regard and as per a report of the World Health Organization 36 per cent of our population is suffering from major depression at any given time.

However, it was also clarified, that most of the patients are not even aware of it as a disease. National Crime Records Bureau suggests that on a average 371 suicides are committed daily in the country. Though the Parliament passed an Act in 2017 on Mental Health that became a step closer to fight depression the ground realities are different in this country. There is little to keep people away from getting affected with depression.

Our governance itself is a big factor in pushing people to the brink and land in that mental ailment state. Instead of suggesting to people to take a long walk or eat well (the second is anyway not within the reach of many amongst our population), the government should think of mending its own ways. Care and compassion for all sections of its population is necessary. Creating a conducive atmosphere for happiness index to raise is vital to keep the national health rosy. Social stigma, poor infrastructure and alarmingly low psychiatrist-patient ratio put a question mark on the country's readiness to combat the challenge.

ASSOCHAM report says 42.5 per cent corporate employees in the country suffer from depression and the rate is only increasing. Global Burden of Disease Study reveals that depression is one of India's biggest causes of early deaths in 2015. Experts are of the opinion that social stigma attached to mental health case is the biggest challenge in the fight against depression. Unfortunately, even the medical students do not take psychiatry seriously as there is no separate exam for the course at the MBBS level unlike the Orthopaedics or Paediatrics.

Mental health issues are given any emphasis. More important in treating the patients are these key factors: communication, negotiation and conflict resolution. Now these are the three major factors that hinder us under the current rule. Those ruling us do not believe in either of these. No doubt, this is quite depressing.