ARTICLE - THE ENDANGERED LOT…

Freud and his followers believed the first three years of a child's life determined his adult life script- That they are born without mental complications and only severe damage during childhood could lead to psychological problems later in life. In the 1970s, doctors began to diagnose children with depression for the first time. A little more than three decades the psychological impact of an entire generation of depressed people can be felt world wide. Depression is affecting the child in the womb researches show. It is a wake up call for us to hold out for some immediate action to turn the wheel of fortune in our favour.



Rape, murder, mayhem…What’s new? Even if they are unnerving they have ceased to shock the modern psyche. Yet one doesn’t need statistics to tell they are not merely escalating but amplifying sharply with each passing day. Depression, violence and natural catastrophe, a riposte to the decadent times will be part of everyday existence and sadly we are getting used to it. Dr. Achal Bhagat an eminent Psychotherapist at Apollo Hospital says rampant commercialism has led to falling values which in turn has caused a rise in divorce, teen pregnancy, crime and depression - all of which are being overlooked in the rush for economic growth. Everything that makes India stronger and better also threatens to suck it in its vortex of greed, desire and reckless expansion. Amidst this consternation the most endangered species of our time are not the lions in Gir or the tigers of Ranthambor, but our very own children. How much are we really thinking about them?
Statistics reveal that people born after 1960 are anyway 10 times more prone to become depressed than their grandparents. Just the effort to cope with the speed of growth and development amidst increasing competition and scarce resources will make life increasingly stressful.Infact the Global Burden of Disease Study of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank has shown depression as one of the most common and limiting disorders worldwide (Murray & Lopez, 1997) today. In Children it may manifest in restlessness, irritability, aggression and uncooperative behavior – not really so grievous at first sight but they are certainly signposts of future debacles. Depression has already led to the greatest number of suicides in our times apart from alcohol or drug abuse and other maladaptive situations. For instance 56 percent of all crimes committed in the country are committed by young people in the 16-25 age group –Interestingly enough the urban and increasingly the affluent youngsters are the perpetrators of the most heinous misdeeds. This is probably because, as a report from the Ministry of Home reveals, 15-17-year-olds 15 per cent of our children have been victims of domestic violence. Incidentally 40 per cent of the homes, with history of sexual abuse are from the urban middle class families.
With or without stable homes, a very low threshold of boredom marks this new generation, according to Dr. Bhagat. They are constantly seeking higher and higher sensations as a means of escape. From what? Apparently from boredom but really from a sense of insecurity, uncertainly, lack of self esteem and stiff competition.; Dr Bhagat who is also the Director of an NGO called Saarthak believes in bringing counseling at the doorstep of people to redress this highly volatile situation. Nothing else can really help unless we help ourselves. We need a total attitudinal shift or we will keep short changing peace for rapid development, expanding industrialization and scramjet living – and its predictable repercussions which are scarcity, stress, depression and violence.
What exactly would such a shift entail? Fear alone cannot act as the necessary deterrent to change the behavior pattern of the new generation living and growing in troubled times. The modern day malaise lies deeper. It threatens to dunk us and spread its tentacles faster than any antidote. It is constantly reinventing new ways to corner us and play its new diabolic role with equal chutzpah each time. Sending assailants to gallows, sacking ministers, revoking policies, changing syllabus, exposing the truant, would be like a dressing a wound that is cancerous and spreading fast and wide. Good governance alone cannot make the difference we are seeking anymore. A suitable long term environment has to be created to help the future generation to take control of their lives.
If it is not our homes then it has to be the schools. Since with rising domestic violence and divorces, a stable confiding domestic support system may be absent Schools have a growing importance in nurturing the future generations..
Counseling at school must not remain restricted to career counseling. What we need is for each school to endorse counselors, professionals, therapists who can on one hand diagnose individual problems, or mental illnesses and at the same time train others – parents, teachers and school management alike to bring in a systematic shift in behavior in all, not just students. “Operation Hope” one such program of the Saarthak family started as a phone line counseling service for schools and universities. It has helped innumerable young people with psychological distress. It has also trained 2000 parents in parenting skills. It has provided opportunities for young people to organize local community development projects.
Most parents love their children. But sometimes we are overwhelmed by life's circumstances or have little understanding of the doorway that counseling can bring, agrees Suman Mukherjee, an army officers wife. Psychiatry is also a greatly stigmatized field. To a lay man it is something to do with madness or severe mental illnesses. Counseling is often correlated to psychiatric treatment when it is just a useful way to clear the air about developmental issues which help in learning useful skills of negotiations and positive decision making. Children who witness violence or catastrophic events, in their families, schools, or communities become especially vulnerable to serious long-term problems. Most can recover in a short time with counseling and support from parents and teachers. Only a few who develop persistent problems need psychiatric help.
The need for “a universal prevention program” in the school setting in which a great number of adolescents may be reached is being suggested by several policy makers internationally. The more often the school management interacts with parents at this level, the more parents will step into the counseling loop, creating the desired support system for the next generation they feel. India which is still a low resource area for mental health services do not enough professionals to cope with the rising problems. With the second largest population and as much problems, we need more than the 3,000 psychiatrist and 1,500 psychologists practicing today. And we need to create this environment locally at every school .The schools can be the first stop to essential information on metal health issues. A difference can be made if parents become aware and demand a better support system from the schools - endorsing counselling as an important aspect of life today and without hesitation reaching out and seek therapy at all levels.
In a country where more than half the country is under 25 years and more than a third under 15 years of age; where 27 million children born every year can we stay calm in the face of such a looming crises? Can we not give our children a more secure future- Not in terms of overindulgence and over protection but in terms of encouraging positive values and a sense of moderation in everything? This will not solve the problem for the one quarter of all rural children will never see the inside of a classroom agreed, but it can certainly minimise the urban malaise.