In the detailed texts on depression psychology I have read in textbooks and the Internet so far, I have found many aspects and insights on depression ( which I had "discovered" while introspecting and retrospecting on my own rather long brush with mental illness ) simply missing or not given enough emphasis.
I am unable to completely understand why many of the factors which I consider of paramount importance as causes of depression are simply missing in the traditional texts of psychology.
One plausible reasons is that much of the research work has been done in the western developed countries where scenarios regarding society and individual life are often different from where I live- India, undeniably one of the most mismanaged and least developed, and not to mention overcrowded nations (population 1.1 * 10^6) even amongst developing countries with HDI ranking 132. One more reason I suggest might be more controversial ; the prejudices of the researchers themselves. We all know how women often view men as evil beings requiring or deserving no sympathy (especially in the post-feminist world) and how women are likely to rubbish and disregard men's problems and exaggarate their own problems , often blaming them on men. It is quite plausible that such prejudices might have crept in the research work carried by female researchers. And the male researchers might be having their own prejudices which often end up reinforcing the effects of prejudices of female researchers; men are unlikely to accept the vulnerability of their own ( male ) race towards mental illness ; the usual male machoism. As a result , most of the research on mental illnesses has focussed on women; so much that in 2003 the US National Institute of Mental Health had to put up a special pamphlet named " real men , real depression " on their website . Anybody who goes through this pamphlet would understand that till recently , depression and mental illnesses were understood mainly from the viewpoint of women, the men relegated to a secondary status by mental healthcare experts. The " symptoms " of depression given in conventional texts are often those corresponding to the typical symptoms in females; only in the first decade of the 21st century have scientists realized that men often show symptoms very different from the " conventional " symptoms which were based on studies conducted mostly on females. Talk about reverse gender inequality!
One factor which can lead to depression in developing countries is simply the lack of opportunities people face in life. But this aspect has been long appreciated ; for this also applies to the poor in countries like UK and US. But often what is not given enough recognition that a significant source of stress in developing countries is the rampant mismanagement and seemingly autocatic and simply illogical rules and regulations in developing countries which make one ponder whether the purpose of such rules and regulations was public welfare , or well , whatever the opposite of public welfare is called. ( I apologise for my lack of verbosity ; but my first language is not english) And in India, some of the basic resources and facilities of life are so scarce that we often have to struggle greatly for getting what most westerners would take for granted. Recently, my sister , who is a student in Bombay University, had to give bribes to top university officials and even had to use the influence of the state Education Minister, just to find accomodation in the university hostel. The month long struggle for a roof above one's head , quite literally , ended in her not getting the hostel accomodation, apparently because her " competitors" had paid higher bribes . And what is even more stressful is the fact that bribes once paid are not refundable. Had I been in her place, I would have been waiting in the queque of a mental hospital OPD.
The university where I was enrolled , was undoubtedly , India's top research university . It had been my childhood dream to study there. But academic excellence does not mean that the university officials would be aware of the fact that units that measure the same quantity are interconvertible. For example , some countries measure temperature in celsius and some in fahrenheit. But there is well known and unique formula to convert celsius to fahrenheit and vice versa. So the inhabitant of any country can easlily compare the temperature in his country and the temperature in a different country , simply by using a calculator. Same goes for currency as well. But the mathematical geniuses sitting in the administrative block of JNU could not come up a formula , to convert the grades awarded by their university into marks awarded by nearly all other Indian unversities. But the height of whimsical and mindless behavior was the decree that any grade below 6.5 would be deemed below first class, and hence the student who ,for any reasons , has not been able to achieve this arbitrary figure would be awarded a degree thats as useful as a $ 1000 note in Zimbabwe. All Indian research institutions demand that the applicant who wishes to conduct research should should have atleast 60% marks , which is universally equivalent to what is deemed as a First Class in India. By simple arithmetical logic we had learned in Class 4th, percentage is simply calculated by dividing a quantity by the maximum marks , which would suggest that 5.4 out of 9.0 would be 60% , and hence logically First Class. But logic is often the last thing considered when laws , or rather decrees issued from the Mouth of God are issued in India. A top University official sarcastically told me that " ...But what 60% is , only God knows. " Presumably their God hadn't studied Primary School Arithmetic.
Throughout my life , I had remained Loyal to my country . When other collegues would dream of landing on foreign soil , I would insist on staying in India and " serving my country" . I had treated very badly by my dear country's society when I was mentally ill. People in India are unaware of even the basic differnces between " mental illness" and " mental retardation " .- but no amount of ill treatment could could deter me from my goal of making India a better place. Even today despite having seen the plight of government mental hospitals and the behavior of Indian society towards the inmates of these institutions , Tagore's " Where the mind is without fear" remains the only prayer I have ever said in my life. Nevertheless, after having been ill treated and misdiagnosed by the HOD of lucknow medical college , I had to turn to an institution established by American missionaries to rescue me from certain death. But despite their treatment( done prior to my joining the hallowed halls of JNU) , my persisting mental health problems meant that I could never get the arbitrary score of 6.5. What was worse, I was simply unaware of this illogical and arbitrary benchmark, and the fact that the JNU Vice Chancellor had never passed his courses in primary school maths.
So by one arbitrary decree, entire 75 years of my existence on this planet were deemed worthless. So , after 23 years of devotion towards my country I had become like those children who refill used mineral water bottles on the New Delhi railway station. A WASTED LIFE.
Wonder what would Dr. Martin Seligman would have to say about this. His theory of Learned Helplessness is quite helpless in describing my mental state . True I have attributed the reasons of my failure to external causes. But I would like to point out that the external reasons I had attributed my failure to, were way beyond my control and my wildest expectation. Therefore , attributing failure to external causes, would be of little help in preventing me from sinking into what I thought , rather hoped , would be the final episode of depression. For only those who are alive can be depressed. And the fact that I have once met failure in my life , due to factors beyond my control and expectation, was, and continues, to be the scariest aspect of my life. For this situation could be replicated throughout my life , as long I live in the nation which was once so dear to me.
But as I walked out of the JNU Administrative block on that fateful day, instead of heading to my abode ( in a area that was practically a slum; JNU administration does not consider mentally ill people worthy of living in the campus), I walked towards the 10-storey tall University Library . A window on the 8th floor was left open , offering me the prospect of earning what in indian philosophy is callled NIRVANA. But instead of entering the lift , i quietly entered the internet access hall; i sat on a computer and opened Google. I typed " eye donation" and " body donation".
You would wonder why an individual who had suffered a setback in life would turn to philanthropic deeds . But I did not perceive the event as a setback; not even as a catastrophe; to me it was the symbolic end of a life; a soul whose time to depart had come . You would say a career failure does not mean the end of life . After all , thats what the psychology textbooks say. But psychology textbooks are often based on studies conducted on females. For a female is biologically capable of contributing to the planet throught ways distinct of her career. But the only way nature has made men capable of contributing towards the planet is through their career. Males are consciously aware of this fact; the only major way nature wants them to contribute to the world are their careers. For them, even their ablility to form relationships and contribute towards the creation of new life depends on, more than anything else , their careers.
So here was a 72 kg 5 feet 7 inches bipedalled animal who had just consumed the resources of the planet throughout 23 years and decreed incapable of contributing to the planet for the rest of his lifespan. And by now I had pushed the long disused button in my mind which said " BE GONE" . But not before the planet could recover, atleast some tiny segment of the resources it had so generously provided in the hope of being paid back . If I was decreed incapable of contributing towards biomedical research , the next best thing would be to let my body be used for teaching anatomy students . The knowledge and the experience they would gain in dissecting my body would help them save other, worthy human beings .
Psychologists have never focussed their efforts on understanding what such a large body made of flesh and bones feels that its coming on this planet was a waste ; perhaps a divine mistake. Not once , but many times since 2006 , I have had nightmares and visions of medical students dissecting my body to learn , so that they can contribute to the world and not end up wishing to be one of the dead bodies themselves. The fact is that career failure completely de-humanizes the male. He no longer , remains a person , he just becomes a collection of blood , flesh and bones which must be sacrificed for the betterment of the human race.
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