25% of Urban Indians have anxiety disorders!
One in every 4 Indians in urban centres have some form of diagnosable anxiety disorders and 10% are depressed.
Some examples of mental illness seen in cities are: road rage of a driver while driving, the irritated colleague, a weepy spouse.
Says Harish Shetty, a social psychiatrist in Mumbai, ‘people rush to bars, body gyms, brain shrinks, breath gurus and babas for a solution’.
Bharat Shah, who teaches Psychiatry at Somaiya Medical College, Sion says there are no real figures collated in India on anxiety disorders, but doctors feel it because of the increasing number of patients. He further adds, ‘we can blame it on competitiveness, drive for money, overcrowding in cities and other factors that lead to stress’.
A study in Behavioural Neurosciences in 2006 revealed that being stressed out for long increased anxiety.
Dr. BN Gangadhar from NIMHANS, Bangalore says, there is a spurt in anxiety disorders when there is riots, terror attacks or financial downturn. The key is to stop anxieties from developing into depression. ‘Relaxation techniques, yoga and exercises are a big help’, says Dr. Gangadhar.
SYMPTOMS OF AN ANXIETY DISORDER: Feeling apprehensive, a sense of impending danger, an increased heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, trembling or feeling weak or tired.
Relaxation techniques, yoga, meditation, visualization and exercise greatly help in managing anxieties.
Dr. Ajay Sati.
