Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
Depression: take it by horns
Bernard Salzman and Sondra Letoff. Photos: C.V. Subrahmanyam
In the last Metro Plus, the reasons that plunge women to a state of depression were discussed, but the most important factor that revolves around this syndrome is how can it be identified?
Richa (original name concealed) was a cute and cheerful girl of 13. One of her hobbies in her big list of avocations was to socialise. She liked to interact and communicate with people and that was one of the reasons why her name always figured in the top of the list for all elocution and debating competitions in her school. Partying with friends was part of her life till the unseen taboo of her biological development applied the brakes through her concerned parents.
They never differentiated her with her other male classmates till such time and suddenly they were harsh on her free and fun loving attitude. This change in attitude of her parents and elders at home set the depression bomb ticking surreptitiously. After much nagging and deliberations at home she started to lose interest in everything that she liked. She even shunned the same cordless telephone that she always had cramped between her shoulder and her neck talking to friends. The change was not noticed until she was missing one day only to be found in a state of severe depression a day later. This change in behaviour is the first and the major sign of depression. Not doing the things that one likes to do the best or distinctive signs of losing interest in everything or a complete withdrawal is a clear sign of depression, says Bernard Salzman, a visiting Psychiatrist from the City University of New York.
"Adolescence is a very critical stage, be it for men or women, along with their physical change they also undergo a considerable mental upheaval. It is the duty of every parent to understand the age and the growing anxiety in them that leads to most of the problems. Home is the best place for counselling, the parents should voluntarily take up issues that are directly related to that age including sex. Through informal discussions during dinner time they should evaluate the problem and give a practical solution. They should subtly tell the hazards involved in certain ideas that normally plague an adolescent mind and not nag or scold," says Dr. Salzman.
But what about the grown-up women who are more prone to fall into the vicious cycle of depression, and what is the best way to avoid getting into such a situation? "Like the young and the adolescent who always have somebody to give a piece of good advice the older women on the contrary normally find themselves to be alone with their own set of problems. In such cases, they must try to understand the situation on their own and attempt to give it a pragmatic thought. Most women tend to fall a prey to wrong notions and delusions; practical thinking could help solve a lot of problems to a great extent. Another important sphere to be looked upon is the role and scope of work of a woman. In most cases, a woman is tied down with the problems at office and at home and if the husband is not supportive, she will be engulfed by the syndrome of depression. To avoid such a situation the best way is to share the roles or scope of work via a mutual understanding. We have been strongly advocating this system in the US and there is a marginal change in the attitude of the newly married couples. If the wife comes late from office the husband takes care of the children and shopping part and vice-versa. This can reduce the friction that is normally encountered in the day-to-day life considerably," says Sondra Letoff, Professor of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal justice, New York.
SUMIT BHATTACHARJEE
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
