Alarming rise in anxiety level in Jamshedpur

World Suicide Prevention Day today

Jamshedpur, Sep 9: Cases of depression and anxiety are on the rise in Steel City. Every day, each psychiatric center here diagnoses about 15 new cases of mental depression, on an average. The records available with hospitals here suggest there is a phenomenal rise in the figures of the mental depression patients, over a period of time, and, the trend is likely to maintain upward swing in the times ahead.

In the hospitals like Tata Motors Hospital and Tata Main Hospital, about 100 patients queue up for diagnosis at the psychiatric department daily with 20 percent being the fresh cases.

“On an average 100 patients come to the (psychiatric) OPD every alternate day out of which 75 to 80 are follow-up cases and the rest are fresh cases,” said an official of psychiatric center, TMH. According to him, the city is no different to the global phenomenon of depression.

“Our city is no different to what the big cities are experiencing as far as increasing cases of mental depression is concerned however, it’s high time we need to concentrate more to check the abnormal suicide figures, here ,” said another official.

Curiously, the fortnight old psychiatric center at the state government run MGM hospital has presented a more alarming picture with 70 fresh cases turning up for cure in the last 15 days.

Mahabir Ram, founder of Jeevan said that there is clear evidence of an increase in the need for mental health service. COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness on the need to pay attention to mental health among governments and policy makers. Whether this will lead to an appropriate response in terms of development of policy, services, more funding and better research should be seen. Information also suggests that along with the popular hospitals in the city several health clinics are also attracting mental depression patients.

“Patients with mild symptoms are diagnosed here and when their condition warrants special diagnosis we refer them to TMH or Tata Motors Hospital,” said an administrator at a leading nursing home in Sakchi.

Officials of Jeevan said that depression is the major concern of the society. It is not only medically harmful but it also leads people to commit suicide. While studying the suicide rates in the city they have found that people who are depressed have higher tendency to commit. The director expressed confidence that the talk would help people understand the nuances of depression and its treatments.

Jeevan, the only Suicide Prevention Centre of the State is functional for the past few years in the Steel City. It provides emotional support to the depressed, distressed and suicidal persons over the phone and personally at its centre. Its main aim   is to  prevent suicides .