By Wadiya Raza, Asma Farooq, Nimr Latifi, Shuja Baig & Mahnoor Kamani
Depression in Pakistan is rapidly growing not only among adults, but particularly teenagers and students of schools and universities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, more than 300 million people globally suffer from at least one form of mental illness, most often, depression. Women, more than men, tend to be affected by depression.
The epidemic that the youth of Pakistan is undergoing is now the second greatest illness in the world after blindness, according to experts. “A person shows symptoms of depression when, for a consecutive of two weeks, he/she shows a lack of interest in the activities once enjoyed, increases or loses appetite and experiences irregular sleep patterns,” says Nasreen Bano, Associate Professor at the Institute of Clinical Psychology.
If left untreated, or in its severe form, it can be fatal and lead to suicide
“Teachers and parents, most importantly, should also be aware of the signs and symptoms of depression and have knowledge on how to raise a teenager who’s depressed,” says Dr. Bano.
Institute of Clinical Psychology Pakistan conducted a research on mental illness among students of different universities of Karachi between the age groups of 19-30 years. The research found, 28 per cent of students to be mildly depressed, 36 per cent to be moderately depressed, and 29 per cent to be severely depressed. There were higher ratios of depression among students belonging to the upper middle socioeconomic class.
Mental illness, particularly depression is becoming so common that 1 in 4 people would have at least one form of mental illness during their lifetime, according to WHO.
“The age group of 16 - 23 is the most vulnerable to depression. It is found that there is a consistent sense of competition and unrealistic standards set by family members and teachers, which tightens the victims in a spiral of anxiety and depression,” Dr. Bano further elaborated.
The mental health services in Pakistan are immensely expensive and cannot be afforded by all the mental illness patients, especially students, who are financially dependent. “I don't have the option of visiting a psychiatrist because they're really expensive and I know that even if I do, I won’t have support from my family,” says Kulsoom Safder, a mental illness victim.
The social stigma of suicide in Pakistan is the real reason behind the cause of the inaccurate number of suicides today. According to a statement issued by The Pakistan Medical Association in 2017, around 35.7 per cent citizens of Karachi are affected with mental illness, while 43pc people in Quetta and 53.4pc in Lahore are also affected, and 34 per cent of the population in Pakistan suffers from depression and other mental illnesses. By 2018, Pakistan Association for Mental Health (PAMH)’s President Dr S Haroon Ahmed was quoted in news as saying that the actual number of the people with depression and other mental disorders is much more than the recognised 37 per cent aggregate. Experts also are on record having said that the numbers for Karachi are much higher than reports and studies show.
Social media and depression
“Excessive use of social media and smartphones and deteriorating social connections are also the major causes of mental illness and sense of isolation among teens,” says Nehal Rabbani, a mental health activist.
Parents are often reckless in terms of letting their children excessively use social media at ages as young as 10 -12 in Pakistan. Research has proven that smartphone addiction and overtly using social media leads to sleep disturbances and likely depression. Using smartphones particularly at night can lead to increased anxiety and insomnia.
“A research has proven that there is a link between smoking and anxiety. Most of the students who smoke have mild or moderate depression. Although, smoking might temporarily elevate the mood of a person, it often leads to an increase in anxiety,” says Nausheen Shehzad, Executive Director at Neuropsychology Centre Pakistan.
Anti-depressants too, are effective only on a short-term basis, because for prolong use, they can cause nausea, weight gain, fatigue, drowsiness, insomnia, blurred vision and other health issues, according to scientific research.
“The environment in which a person is raised, immensely impacts the kind of person that he or she grows up to be. Therefore, it’s necessary to provide the best possible nurturing to children when raising them,” Sobia Najeem, Professor of Psychology, Jinnah University explained.
Another victim of severe mental illnesses shares a similar outlook. “About 2 years ago I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and General Anxiety Disorder. I got in touch with a therapist and she just gave me an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) anti-depressant which I took for about nine months, but then I stopped because it had major side effects,” says Sania Umer, a second year student of A levels, and a victim of depression.
“I've been suffering from mental illness for so long now, that I genuinely wish I was never born. I have gone through three suicide attempts and several practices of self-harm. The only thing that’s keeping me alive right now is the fear of how my death would impact my parents, family and loved ones,” Seema Kazim, a student, shared.
The reason depression is still such a taboo subject in today’s world is because it’s not properly understood by people. When people don’t understand something negative, it often becomes a taboo. “Even psychologists too, at times, have personal biases and judgmental views about their patients, which makes it really difficult for patients for open up and talk freely about their issues,” says the mental health activist, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“If depression remains untreated, it can lead to frequent thoughts of suicide and eventually suicide itself. The gravity of getting professional help when someone really needs it, cannot be emphasized enough,” says Najeem.
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