24 September 2010
Chennai, India
Religious people and those who believe in God are less prone to depression and can cope with depression much better than atheists, according to a study conducted by American Psychological Association, said Dr. S Abilasha, a psychologist and founder of Aarudhal, an NGO working towards reducing the rates of suicide and depression related crimes in the city. She was speaking at an event organized by Women’s Christian College called Seeking Meaning In Life through Expression (SMILE), to raise awareness about depression and the stigma associated with it.
"Indians as a race are ill equipped to deal with depression and though we teach our children to focus on academics we do not teach them to deal with challenges that life throws at them," she said.
She spoke about the stigma which is associated with depression, making it very difficult for a depressed person to seek the much needed medical help. Dr. S Nambi, senior consultant psychiatrist at Chettinad Hospital spoke about the causes of depression and how women are more prone to it than men. "Most people lack effective coping skills and small failures and setbacks in life can easily lead to depression," he said.
Actors Arya and Nanda were the chief guests at the event and they pledged to create awareness about the disease.
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