HYDERABAD:With responsibilities at home and workplace increasing, the number of women falling prey to depression is increasing at an alarming rate in Hyderabad. Though mild depression was witnessed in many women even earlier, what is worrying now is that women are suffering from severe depression nowadays.
“While I used to get about 400 cases a month, usually women used to be half of them. But recently not just the number of people seeking psychiatrist’s help increased, but the percentage of women increased with about 65 percent patients being them,” said Dr V Naresh, senior consultant at Fernandez Hospital for Women.
Besides increased responsibilities at home and office, fast-paced lifestyle and societal demands are taking a toll on women’s health.
Today, there is encouragement to women in all fields and right from family members to people at workplace are lending support. Many women are excelling in their professions and even rising to higher positions. While supporting women, society also places certain responsibilities on them and wants them to conform to an image. Modern women are unable to handle so many changes which is leading to stress, explains Dr V Chandrachud, psychiatrist at Care Hospitals.
Generally, women are more prone to depression than men biologically and women changing lifestyle has only augmented the problem. Women in their teenage and middle age are most likely to suffer from depression, say psychiatrists.
For instance, a look at the number of teenagers being treated at Yuva counselling centre at Niloufer Hospitals shows that either in cases relating to medical issues or psycho social issues, girls outnumber boys.
“Normally, it is girls who are more susceptible to hormonal changes and, as a result, suffer from stress-related problems. Men take to socialising or habits like drinking and smoking when stressed out but women in our society do not have such avenues,” says Dr A Sriram Charan, medical officer at Yuva.
The solution psychiatrists offer to this problem is balancing life and career, and seeking psychiatrist’s help without inhibitions in the initial stage itself. They also advise women to take the help of family members at home and colleagues at workplace to share their responsibilities.
Worrying Facts on Women