Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Well-known psychiatrist Dr Ruma Bhattacharya said psychiatric problems could be found in any age group. Dr Bhattacharya talked about aspects of mental problems in a brief interview with Free Press.
Excerpts
What are common psychiatric problems among people?
Anxiety, depression are very common and they prevail in all age groups. With availability of more options for them in social life, the problems are more as they get tempted to become more materialistic. They are busy watching reels and make an attempt to follow them.
When they fail, they slide into depression. What causes psychiatric problems?
Causes are many like fear of losing employment, tension for future, financial constraints in middle or low income group families, conflicts between parents etc. Conflicts between husband and wife are common and leave a bad effect on children. In such situations, either children suffer from anxiety or they become over-smart and start taking undue advantage of situation. They start demanding branded gadgets like costly mobile handsets.
What about problems that students suffer?
Educational institutes (schools) have put high bench mark for extra-curricular activities like organising foreign trip for students. Some parents bear expenses of foreign trips but most parents who hardly manage school fee cannot afford it. This factor leaves many students in depression.
How parents are responsible for depression in children?
Parents put lot of pressure on children for their career. They thrust their views at every level without considering view of their wards. It has been seen in case of single child. This creates problems for children. Similarly, highly pampered child develops depression. Lack of quality or productive communication in family leads to anxiety or depression in children. Unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas are seen in people.
How should people get rid of it?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions) and behaviours that drive them to do something over and over. They repeatedly check locks to know whether it was done properly. They repeatedly check their shoes to convince themselves that they have been worn properly.
Such kind of unwanted and repeated thoughts are symptoms of psychiatric problems. In such situations, psychiatrist should be consulted. People also suffer from mental problems after trauma. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that some people develop after they experience or witness a traumatic event. The traumatic event may be life-threatening or pose a significant threat to person’s physical, emotional or spiritual well-being. This disorder affects people of all ages.
