World Health Day: PM Modi’s mantra to beat depression
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants Indians to talk openly about depression to defeat the problem.
Are you feeling low and depressed? Please, don't. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of India's busiest men, recently decided to talk about depression. Usually we see politicians talk about politics, but the Prime Minister decided to dwell on depression during his last Mann ki Baat programme.
Mann ki Baat is a monthly talk show of PM Modi on radio. The programme is a mega-hit among the listeners, thus the Prime Minister talking about depression in detail will definitely help to break the silence surrounding the issue.
Moreover, this year, the theme of the World Health Day campaign is depression. The World Health Day is celebrated every year on April 7 by the World Health Organisation. "We (in India) are afraid to talk about it (depression) openly," the PM said. "The focus of World Health Day this year is depression," he added.
According
to
the
WHO,
a
total
of
4.5
per
cent
people
in
India
suffer
from
depression.
"The
total
number
of
people
living
with
depression
in
the
world
is
322
million.
Nearly
half
of
these
people
live
in
the
South-East
Asia
Region
and
Western
Pacific
Region,
reflecting
the
relatively
large
populations
of
those
two
areas
which
include
India
and
China,"
says
the
WHO
report,
'Depression
and
Other
Common
Mental
Disorders
--Global
Health
Estimates'.
The PM insisted that those who are depressed must share how they feel with their loved ones. "Suppression of depression is not good. Expression is always good. If depressed, share your feelings with others, it will make you feel better," PM Modi said.
"In today's India, so many young people move out of home to study and live in hostels and they don't have their loved ones to fall back on. In that sense, we are lucky to have had joint families, where if someone was feeling out of sorts it would always be noticed," he added.
PM Modi asked everyone to help each other in fighting depression."Depression can be overcome. We all can play a role in helping those suffering from depression overcome it. It's always good to share your feelings with others, if feeling depressed," he said.
OneIndia News