Stave off the blues to stay in rhythm and on course
Manav Mander
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, April 7
The theme for World Health Day today is Depression: Let’s talk. The goal is to encourage the sufferers to talk about their experience and to seek help.
Depression is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain and is like any other physical illness. It is highly curable and medicines are easily available, inexpensive and relatively free from side-effects. Major personalities in history such as Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill have struggled with depression, due to lack of treatment back then. What came out as a laudable step, actress Deepika Padukone shared her experiences with depression with the media. This encouraged many to break the taboo, come out and discuss their issues with mental health experts.
Event for nursing students
Fortis Hospital organised an event for the nursing students and staff to mark the World Health Day. The programme was held under the supervision of Vivan Singh Gill, Director, Fortis Hospital. Gill said depression was now a leading cause of ill health and disability.
Dr Ajaypal Singh Sandhu, Head, Psychiatry Department, Dietician Sumita and Dr Harpreet Brar, Administration Head, were present.
Sandhu said depression was treatable, but a misunderstood condition in the India.
He said the incidence of depression was two times higher in females and about two per cent school children suffered from depression. People with diabetes were twice as vulnerable to depression. Those suffering from depression had diminished interest in the day-to-day activities, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor retardation or agitation, fatigue, feeling of worthlessness, and difficulty to concentrate or recurrent thoughts of death.
He said there was an increased intake of alcohol and drugs in such patients. Approximately 75 per cent of the people committing or attempting suicide suffered from depression.
Sumita said sometimes when people were depressed, they resorted to eating to make them feel better. Sticking to a healthy diet and exercising regularly could help one manage depression.
Harpreet Brar, Admin Head, said in a developing country like India, the resources for mental health were meagre and there were only 3,500 psychiatrists for the entire population. “To add to the problem, people are also reluctant to go mental health practitioners due to the stigma attached, cultural beliefs and lack of education.”
Role play on depression
The day was also observed at Christian Medical College and Hospital. Ponnamma R Singh, Principal, College of Nursing, and Dr Usha Singh, HOD of Mental Health Nursing Department, shared their views on how depression can lead to addiction and drug abuse among adolescents and its prevention.
Sunita Goyal, HOD of Obstetric and Gynaecological Department, talked about postpartum depression and the role of family in preventing postnatal depression. Nursing students staged a role play to convey the message on prevention of depression.
Quiz competetion
World Health Day was observed at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital by organising a quiz competition on ‘Depression-Let’s Talk.
The chief guest for the function was Dr Rajoo Singh Chhina, Dean (Academics)a, DMCH, who stressed that the excessive use of mobile, coffee, tea and aerated drinks could lead to depression. He said exercise, exposure to sun and balanced diet, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, could help prevent depression.
A talk on depression was delivered by Dr Ranjive Mahajan, Head of Psychiatry at the DMCH, who highlighted the problems of depression in young adults, especially students. He stressed that a way to curb depression was to talk — share your feelings and apprehensions with your friends, family, etc.
The quiz competition involved four teams from the 2014 and 2015 MBBS batch.
Meanwhile, Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) has termed health as an asset necessary for the development. In a statement released on the World Health Day today, Dr L S Chawla, patron of the organisation, and Dr Arun Mitra, Senior Vice-President said, “It is very disturbing that we hold 131st position in the Human Development Index. Our health indicators are among the lowest in the world. There has been a lot of economic development, but the benefits have not manifested in the form of food, access to healthcare and education for the society at large”.
Educational programme
Ludhiana Institute of Nursing, Katani Kalan, organised an educational programme in connection with World Health Day. The event was arranged jointly by faculty and students. A large number of students from different classes participated in it.
A lecture-cum-discussion session was organised, covering the disease, its pathophysiology, risk factors, sign and symptoms, management and prevention. Students presented a role play depicting risk factors and manifestation of depression. Depression was an illness characterised by persistent sadness and a loss of interest in activities, accompanied by an inability to carry out daily activities, for at least two weeks.
‘Hyatt Run’ held
Hyatt Regency organised a Hyatt Run in the city to mark World Health Day. The run started at 7 am on Friday with energy and enthusiasm among the hotel's associates."All participants ran a set path around the hotel, with the initiative meant to encourage the associates to run every day. Running offers various health benefits and helps fight the side-effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Because our sedentary daily routine makes us complacent, with wellness taking a back seat. we wanted to encourage our associates to embrace the wealth of their health,” said general manager Rajesh Ramdas. —TNS
Keep stress away, the Yoga way
Ludhiana: Yoga can prove to be an anti-depressant and can boost mental health. Not only people in our country, but the West is increasingly adopting yoga due to its numerous benefits. The theme of World Health Day this year is 'Depression: Let's talk' and experts have been laying stress on regular yoga session to keep depression at bay. City-based Ayurveda expert Shiv Gupta said science was increasingly backing up the anecdotal evidence. "A recent study compared the levels of amino acid GABA in those who perform yoga regularly compared to those who do an equivalent amount of walking, which is considered to be a similar strenuous form of exercise. It was found that they were significantly higher in those who did yoga," he said. "The amino acid is vital for a well-functioning brain and the central nervous system. Low GABA levels are associated with depression and anxiety," he said. It was also found that those who did yoga also reported lower levels of anxiety and better moods than those who walked as an exercise."A session of yoga leaves you feeling calm and positive, with a sense of being able to cope with whatever life has to throw at you," says Niharika, a young yoga enthusiast. To observe World Health Day, DMCH Youth Club also organised a three-day camp which started on Thursday. On the second day, the camp was attended by faculty members and students.
