Mental Illness in Modern Society
My doctor told me one in four people has mental illness and in India the statistic is one in three people. I don't have to say much about rising statistic in our ever so advancing world. People are living in high speed and high stressed environment. Just 20 years ago traffic jam is considered bad if it takes more than an hour to reach a destiny of 16km workplace. Now it takes double or more if the timing is not right.
30 years ago we were the few graduates with degrees to show and now a stone-throw can hit many PhDs and master degree holders. Everyone has an academic qualification but not every gets the job he/she is trained for. Some got a job but not what he likes. Some went to do a course and couldn't get good result.
The pressure faced by youngsters decades ago was just on academic and monetary achievements, in a much lower quantum. To be a doctor, lawyer, engineering, dentist, etc...was considered successful. Now it is considered a norm and should have qualifications. If one is a specialist, one is only considered outstanding when he is highly sought after. A 3-figure salary was most envied but now a 5-figure salary is necessary to care for a medium size family and a standard of living that is considered comfortable.
With the surmounting pressure to achieve higher results and better monetary returns people are juggling with little rest and many tasks. Many things to do but not enough time to complete. Families to take care, kids' homework and clinical/hospital visits (when they are sick), in-laws and aged parents to care for, maids to instruct and monitor, weekend marketing and errands....the list does not end.
I was there 11 years ago and my body system broke down and my emotional and mental capacity was stretched to the limit. I snapped and went through bouts of anxiety attacks. It was frightening when no one around me could tell me what I was going through. My kind ex-boss told me to get my thyroid checked. That turned out to be normal and she concluded that I had early menopausal symptoms. My doctor friend got me 14 tablets of alprazolam (anti-anxiety pills). However, friends, relatives and pastor advised against consuming such medication, citing adverse side effects and dependency.
.....to be continued.
30 years ago we were the few graduates with degrees to show and now a stone-throw can hit many PhDs and master degree holders. Everyone has an academic qualification but not every gets the job he/she is trained for. Some got a job but not what he likes. Some went to do a course and couldn't get good result.
The pressure faced by youngsters decades ago was just on academic and monetary achievements, in a much lower quantum. To be a doctor, lawyer, engineering, dentist, etc...was considered successful. Now it is considered a norm and should have qualifications. If one is a specialist, one is only considered outstanding when he is highly sought after. A 3-figure salary was most envied but now a 5-figure salary is necessary to care for a medium size family and a standard of living that is considered comfortable.
With the surmounting pressure to achieve higher results and better monetary returns people are juggling with little rest and many tasks. Many things to do but not enough time to complete. Families to take care, kids' homework and clinical/hospital visits (when they are sick), in-laws and aged parents to care for, maids to instruct and monitor, weekend marketing and errands....the list does not end.
I was there 11 years ago and my body system broke down and my emotional and mental capacity was stretched to the limit. I snapped and went through bouts of anxiety attacks. It was frightening when no one around me could tell me what I was going through. My kind ex-boss told me to get my thyroid checked. That turned out to be normal and she concluded that I had early menopausal symptoms. My doctor friend got me 14 tablets of alprazolam (anti-anxiety pills). However, friends, relatives and pastor advised against consuming such medication, citing adverse side effects and dependency.
.....to be continued.
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