43 pc Indians suffering from depression: Study
New Delhi: Ever since the pandemic hit India over five months back, followed by an unprecedented lockdown, stress levels have been on the rise with 43 percent Indians suffering from depression, according to a new study.
Conducted by GOQii, a smart-tech-enabled preventive healthcare platform, the study surveyed over 10,000 Indians to understand how they have been coping with the new normal.
According to the study, 26 percent of respondents were suffering from mild depression, 11 percent were feeling moderately depressed, and six percent were facing severe symptoms of depression.
"The last five months have been unexpected. The situation has taken a major toll on the mental health of citizens. With the series of lockdowns, anxiety, job cuts, health scares, and the overall volatile environment, stress levels are at an all-time high.
"Copious amounts of stress can lead to depression. With the current lockdown and lifestyles drastically changing, we have seen that 43 percent of Indians are currently plagued with depression and are learning to cope with it," the study said.
To monitor the severity of depression in the respondents, the study relied on a self-administered Patient Health Questionnaire or PHQ-9 (a form of primary care evaluation of mental disorders).
It took into account nine aspects of an individual's daily routine, including interest levels in activities, appetite, sleep cycles, ability to concentrate, and energy levels.
"Our study indicates that an increasing number of people across the country are dealing with mental health issues triggered by the spread of the coronavirus and the consequent lockdown.
"The mounting uncertainty is the basis of the high-stress index which can be controlled with a balanced diet, changes in lifestyle and appropriate sleep patterns," said Vishal Gondal, Founder, and CEO, GOQii.
Those feeling depressed complained of having little interest or pleasure in doing things, feeling hopeless, dealing with erratic sleep cycles, poor eating habits, low levels of energy, low self-esteem, having trouble concentrating, being restless, and having thoughts of self-harm.
"More than 59 percent of the population said they had little pleasure in doing things these days, out of which 38 percent have this feeling on a few days and 9 percent feel so more than half of the days. Nearly 12 percent felt this way almost every day in these times, the study said.
It pointed out that more than 57 percent of the respondents complained of feeling tired or having little energy through "at least some days in the last few weeks".
"At least more than 15 percent have this feeling more than half of the days. This leads to some people sleeping too much while some others have trouble sleeping.
"With the change in lifestyle, approximately half of the population is having trouble with their sleep," the study said.
"At least 7 percent of the population goes through this nearly every day while 33 percent experience it on a few days," it added.
Feeling hopeless, on the other hand, was not so common among the respondents. Only 10 percent of them said they felt "down and depressed" more than half of the days or nearly every day.
The study suggested that adding exercise to one's daily routine could help improve their mental health.
"Exercising can lead to endorphins (the happy hormone) which can help with depression. The more depressed you are, the more likely you are to not workout.
"But, it is important to cajole yourself into doing more things that make you feel happier," it said.
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Govt 'bartered' right to determine ties with oil suppliers; energy security compromised: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that India's energy security has been "compromised" due to a "flawed" foreign policy and that the government has "bartered" to the US the right to determine relationships with different oil suppliers.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said the war between the US-Israel and Iran is going to have far-reaching consequences.
"The central artery from where 20 pc of global oil flows, Strait of Hormuz, has been closed and this is going to have tremendous repercussions, particularly for us because a very large portion of our oil and natural gas comes through the Strait of Hormuz," Gandhi said.
"The pain has just started -- restaurants are closing, there is widespread panic about LPG, street vendors are affected and as I said, this is only the beginning," the former Congress president said.
The foundation of every single nation is its energy security, Gandhi asserted.
"I do not say this lightly, but allowing the US to decide who we buy oil, gas from... whether we buy oil from Russia or not, whether our relationship with different oil suppliers can be decided by us, this is what has been bartered," the Congress leader said.
"This is a very puzzling fact for me, this is a very puzzling fact as to why a nation the size of India would allow the president of any other nation to give us permission to buy Russian oil, to decide who our relationships are with," the leader of opposition (LoP) said in an apparent reference to the US giving a 30-day waiver to buy oil from Russia.
"This has been a puzzle and I have been trying to figure this puzzle out. I have figured the puzzle out.
"The puzzle is about compromise," he said and referred to Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri.
Gandhi then sought to link the issue of India's energy security with US Department of Justice disclosures. This evoked an uproar from the treasury benches.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asked Gandhi to speak on the notice he has given and not deviate to other topics.
With Gandhi repeatedly asserting that what he was saying was connected with energy security, Birla asked Puri to make his statement.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju hit out at Gandhi for speaking in the Lok Sabha on "various other issues" instead of concerns over the reported LPG shortage. After Gandhi's speech in the House, Rijiju told reporters that the Congress has not learnt any lesson after the two-day discussion on the no-confidence motion against Speaker Birla.
The minister said Gandhi submitted a letter to the speaker stating that he wanted to discuss the reported LPG shortage. Subsequently, the petroleum minister was asked to prepare a response, he said.
Rijiju alleged that when Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri was giving a statement, Gandhi "again sent all his MPs to the well".
Meanwhile, speaking in the Lok Sabha, BJP member Nishikant Dubey claimed that Gandhi held a picnic near Makar Dwar by having tea and coffee with MPs, violating the directives of the speaker.
Earlier, speaking with reporters in the Parliament House complex, Gandhi alleged that India's energy security has been compromised due to a "flawed" foreign policy.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government must prepare in advance. If not, crores will suffer in the future, he said amid reports of LPG shortages.
Gandhi alleged that PM Modi is unable to function as the prime minister of India as "he is trapped". But he still needs to make sure that the people of India are protected and "our energy security is managed by us", he told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
Basically, gas and fuel are going to be a problem because "our energy security has been compromised", Gandhi said.
"A flawed foreign policy has created this problem. Now, what we have to do is to prepare. You have some time, he said.
Gandhi said the government and the prime minister must immediately start the preparations because otherwise crores of people will suffer massive losses.
"It is a bigger issue than Iran allowing oil and not allowing oil. This war is fundamentally about the current world order... We are going into an unstable time. When you are going into an unstable time you have to change your mindset," Gandhi said.
The LoP said he is suggesting to the government that it must start thinking deeply about the possibilities and what India can do to make sure its people are not harmed.
"I am not making any political statement. I am just saying that I can see that a big problem is coming and if this is resolved at the level of Iran then also this problem will not go away because the world is changing, its structure is changing and we have to change our mindset," Gandhi said.
"The prime minister is not able to function as the PM of India. There is a reason for it. He is trapped. Anyway, he still needs to make sure currently that the people of India are protected," he said.
After participating in an opposition protest over reported LPG shortage in the Parliament House complex, Gandhi attacked Modi, saying the PM is asking the people not to panic but is himself panicking for "completely different reasons".
He alleged that Modi is panicking because of the Epstein files issue and the Adani case in the US.
