mid-day editorial: Depression must be treated, not dismissed

It has been three days since Pawanjeet Kohli, a 24-year-old Bandra resident committed suicide by jumping from the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. A front-page report in this paper stated how Kohli, who was from an affluent Bandra family, was supposedly nursing a broken heart after his former girlfriend got engaged to someone else.

However, while he was seemingly struggling with depression, he appeared cheerful to his friends and family. His suicide throws the spotlight back on depression, a mental ailment that is treated at times with flippancy by the society at large.

Mumbai is slowly becoming more aware about the illness, though the pace is still snail-like. But, professionals have realized that at first, just recognizing that one is depressed or somebody close to one may be suffering from depression is a huge challenge. Which is why it is important to become aware about what depression exactly is and only then embark on treating it.

There needs to be a focus on depression, so that we know when the depressed are in denial. Access counselors, use help lines, but be wary to go for credible and reputed individuals and organizations rather than charlatans and self-styled healers.

Depression is also shrouded in shame and stigma for many families. Sometimes, a depressed person is treated with a ‘snap out of it' or ‘it is all in your head'. When professionals say that people who threaten suicide should be taken seriously, the ignorant argue that those who talk about suicide will not commit it and hence, there's no need to take that seriously.

Sometimes, families and even the best professionals may fail but the important thing is making an attempt to tackle the problem. Help those who feel engulfed in darkness find the light, through medical means if need be.