Lack of communication & phone addiction fuelling depression among city dwellers

Tuesday, 22 August 2023 PNS | DEHRADUN

Various factors like lack of effective communication, excessive phone usage and the influence of social media have been identified as the primary causes of depression among city dwellers. Experts point out that the prevalence of depression is higher in urban areas compared to rural regions, where individuals may have limited awareness of this condition. To mitigate the risk of depression among urban residents, experts suggest distancing oneself from the digital realm.  

Commenting on the depression among the city dwellers, neuropsychologist Dr Sona Kaushal Gupta said that the contrasting lifestyles of individuals residing in urban versus rural areas contribute significantly to this issue. “Depression in urban areas is common due to the virtual world. In urban areas, instead of talking to each other people are more connected to their phones and the internet. Competition and lack of communication are the main factors of increasing rate of depression among people,” she said. She further said that it can be possible that rural people are dealing with some mental illness. She informed that compared to rural areas, people in urban areas are mostly dealing with the diseases of depression. Yoga, meditation and limiting the use of phones will decrease the rate of depression among urban people, she added.  

Psychologist Pratibha Sharma told this correspondent, “There are many factors which increase the cause of depression among the urban people compared to the people in rural areas. In rural areas, people live in a joint family which indirectly decreases the chances of depression among people. Lack of communication and support systems along with mobile addiction are the main reasons pushing the urban people towards depression.”

She further said that to decrease the prevalence of depression among the urban people it’s important for them to keep themselves away from the virtual world as much as possible. Apart from this, depression is a new term that is mostly found among young adults nowadays. To protect the young adults from this, parents must provide positive support for the children as much as they can, she added.