Can isolation drive students to depression? Yes, say doctors

Expert say the lack of a solid support system in Delhi, work stress and the lack of a coping mechanism push students like Gupta, an MD student, to loneliness.

Kunal Gupta, 34, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences’ (AIIMS) junior resident doctor who was found dead on Thursday, had not eaten for three days and had locked himself in his hostel room.

Expert say the lack of a solid support system in Delhi, work stress and the lack of a coping mechanism push students like Gupta, an MD student, to loneliness.

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“How many of us actually interact with our neighbours regularly? It is a typically urban phenomenon that takes its toll on the human mind,” said a senior doctor from the psychiatry department at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, requesting anonymity.

Dr KK Talwar, a former student and faculty at AIIMS and now part of Max Healthcare, said the current generation suffers a communication breakdown that harms the vulnerable among them the most.

The term ‘depression’, doctors say, is loosely used to describe the state of an emotional low, which could well be temporary. (Tumblr)

“When we were students, each student had a faculty member attached to him or her. Even if a student wasn’t visible for a few hours, people would make an effort to check on them. We need to have that culture back,” he said.

The solution lies not in cutting off from the immediate environment, but in diverting attention when feeling low. Activities such as reading a book, watching television or a comedy movie and exercising can help, said experts.

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The term ‘depression’, doctors say, is loosely used to describe the state of an emotional low, which could well be temporary.

“Only when the blues refuse to go away even after a certain period, and significantly affect your day-to-day functioning, it is time to seek medical help,” said the doctor at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

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