Understanding Mental Health - A Stigma

An attempt to define loneliness (rudimentary definition):
In the words of Jay Shetty ( An indian origin - UK based storyteller, filmmaker and an award winning online entrepreneur popularly known as 'Urban Monk'), "Lonely is not being alone, it's the feeling that no one loves you."

Is this feeling of detachment an early sign of depression? Is this something that in it's extreme state creates suicidal tendencies in a human being?

Scientific studies states, depression is the leading cause of disability in the modern world but because it is mental, it isn't given its due importance and recognition. Let's study it more statistically. Studies shows, one out of three adults suffer from loneliness which has chronic impact on one's health. Studies have also indicated that people who spent most of their time alone end up reducing their life span and are fifty per cent more likely to die before their time. It's impact on our health is as disastrous as having fifteen cigarettes per day. The number of adults agreeing to the presence of meaningful, face to face conversations with people is extremely less. It's obvious in our lifestyle and behaviour that members of generation Z are loneliest and are experiencing more health problems as a result of it.

Interestingly, upbringing and one's support system from one's family plays a key role in deciding one's coping mechanism. It is often observed that kids who have more acceptant, involved and engaging parents tend to be strong to the succumbs of depression during their teenage or early adulthood as the sense of loneliness in them is comparatively less.

What leads to such a state? Research states that less physical activity, compulsive use of digital technology and incapacity of sharing problems with others is the major stimulant of reducing one to the state of loneliness. What's worse is the qualitative study - It indicates that the major cause is lack of people with whom one holds mutual understanding and cooperation and the presence of hollow relationships which ends up making one low within. The need is to build meaningful relationships based on mutual cooperation and benefit instead of ones filled with competitiveness or hypocrisies.

A research concluded after studying 2500 consumers over 6 years inferred that people who are more oriented in acquiring material possessions are more likely to suffer from depression. A suggestive solution to this problem is investing our money on experience rather than material things. It would act as a constructive way of breaking the loneliness and materialism cycle.

How can one look forward to getting out of it if one suffers from it? Well, it starts from recognising the signs i.e constant feeling of unworthiness, deep prolonged sadness for no reason, an alteration in body weight, development of addiction as a coping mechanisim and chronic social anxiety. A remedial would be to take simple steps of increasing the social contacts but keeping it to the people who build a meaningful and understandable equation. Also, increasing the engadgement in various activities would help i.e. learn something new, volunteer, build up a skill, work on yourself, do yoga or meditation. It certainly helps in rising above these things and most importantly, it all starts from within - Love yourself.

Webliography

• https://youtu.be/g9i2V3RrXVo
• https://youtu.be/z-IR48Mb3W0
• https://youtu.be/ZwMlHkWKDwM