Imagine living a life of anxiety, fearful of the future, concerned about the present, and a troubled past. Most humans go through this, but when the dark forces lay claim on your mind these very normal sequences get really dreadful. Clinical depression which affects millions across age groups today is a silent killer.
Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple episodes. Young and old in our churches and society go through bouts of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness, sometimes angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters, some spend days with sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much. Most common among the patients are feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures, or self-blame.
All of this culminates in the capture of the mind and pushing through frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide in the minds of the patient.
Depression affects an estimated 56 million individuals in India (18% of the worldwide estimate). According to the data of the National Mental Health Survey 2015–2016, approximately 30% of persons with depression had drug use disorder as a comorbid disease. Nearly 15% of Indian people require active treatment for one or more mental health conditions, and one in every twenty Indians suffers from depression.