Depressed? Do yoga, travel, eat fruits, says health ministry; Twitter, mental health experts slam 'tone-deaf' advice on depression

'Eat fruits', 'go for a walk', 'think positive' and your depression be 'gone'. If the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is to be believed, the clinical illness of depression – a debilitating disorder that affects around 322 million people worldwide – is not an illness at all. And it is, perhaps, not 'serious enough' to warrant medical intervention.

The ministry waded into controversy when it tweeted a poster on Tuesday that listed some suggestions on how one can deal with depression, like travel, yoga and being creative – basically living the 'good life'. The tweet left several Twitter users and mental health professionals fuming as the poster clearly undermined the role of medical intervention and talk therapy for treating the condition.

#Depression is a state of low mood that affects a person's thought, behaviour, feeling & sense of well-being. One must take up activities that keep him or her boosted in order to cope with depression. #SwasthaBharat #MentalHealth #LetsTalk pic.twitter.com/UJR3X7GwL2

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) June 26, 2018

"Depression is a disease which needs treatment and the government has turned it into some behavioural problem," Dr Vinay Kumar, honorary general secretary of the Indian Psychiatric Society, was quoted as saying by Scroll. "This message from the government is like telling a person with diabetes to walk and not take medicines." While some of the suggestions were at least in the ballpark of sound advice, like 'taking a walk' (endorphins released from exercise are said to help symptoms of depression), many of them were downright egregious. 

There is also no conclusive research that suggests yoga helps depression. From the severity of a case to the age of the patient, all of it makes a difference in how beneficial yoga can be. — Sandhya Menon (@TheRestlessQuil) June 28, 2018

Confusing a symptom for a cause, the health ministry also suggests that following a routine can help. Another pearl of wisdom is the suggestion "to be creative". One can't help but wonder if the poster should have been a little less creative and a little more 'boring' – based on research and not a whim.

A simple dipstick survey would have told you that the #1 complaint most depressives have is that they cannot follow a schedule or a routine when they are at their worst. That they can't even get out of bed to brush or bathe or even eat.

— Sandhya Menon (@TheRestlessQuil) June 28, 2018

And here you are saying be creative to people who aren't able to put one thought in front of the other in any logical manner so as to live their lives without too much trouble.

— Sandhya Menon (@TheRestlessQuil) June 28, 2018

Going a step further, the ministry gave people with depression the paradoxical advice to 'think positive'.  

People with depression cant think positive. That's the definition of depression. Telling them to do so, is like telling a person with cataract to open his eyes and see clearly. Seeking help in depression, which is life saving, is not a part of this, why? — Dhanvantari MindCare (@DMindcare) June 26, 2018

One of the critical symptoms of depression is lack of sleep or too much sleep. Therefore, getting the "eight hours of sleep" the health ministry suggests in the poster is the problem and not the solution.

"The poster is an example of wishful thinking," Kumar told Scroll. "How can you expect a person suffering from depression to start thinking positively?"

According to the WHO, although there are known, effective treatments for depression, fewer than half of those affected in the world (in many countries, fewer than 10 percent) receive such treatments. Barriers to effective care include a lack of resources, lack of trained health-care providers, and social stigma associated with mental disorders.

The dismissive attitude of the health ministry towards a serious ailment like depression reflects the institutional apathy prevalent in India when it comes to mental health and illnesses. Another aspect that becomes clear from the poster is that mental illness is still percieved to a class issue, an urban problem if you will.

In countries of all income levels like India, people who are depressed are often not correctly diagnosed, and others who do not have the disorder are too often misdiagnosed and prescribed antidepressants.

This can be gleaned from the minstry's advice to travel whenever one feels depressed.

How many of them do you think can travel? This leads me to ask who this poster was designed for.

As someone who has a job and is raising a family, I cannot afford to travel for leisure unless I plan and save much in advance.

— Sandhya Menon (@TheRestlessQuil) June 28, 2018

Can you expect a depressed person to do that? Have you considered that it might be that they may not be employable because they aren't getting help? Help = medication + talk therapy.

— Sandhya Menon (@TheRestlessQuil) June 28, 2018

To Cope with Depression -> Thing Positive.

Okay. By that logic, To get out of poverty -> Become rich.

— Steelwing (@mahirsaggar) June 27, 2018

Dear @MoHFW_INDIA , do you have a mental health expert on your team to advice you on such matters?
50% suicides in adults have mental health issues like depression behind them.
They need early identification and treatment.@netshrink @Kaustubhjoag367 @aparanjape @ngkabra

— Dr.Bhooshan Shukla MD (@docbhooshan) June 26, 2018

I think you meant ‘sad’, not depressed? Surely...

— Dr Anna Whateley (@AnnaWhateley) June 27, 2018

This half-assed, tone deaf "advice" is trotted out by our Ministry of HEALTH. Thanks, @MoHFW_INDIA, for making an exhibition of how little you understand of depression. pic.twitter.com/gJIPWw3Lvd — Deepanjana (@dpanjana) June 28, 2018

Rates of depression have risen by more than 18 percent since 2005, but a lack of support for mental health combined with a common fear of stigma means many do not get the treatment they need to live healthy and productive lives. Which is why it is important to understand depression and break the stigma around it. And while efforts to get people talking about the disorder might be rooted in good intentions, misguidance to those coping with or helping those coping with the ailment is worse. To put things into perspective, India is one of the most depressed countries in the world. According to the WHO, close to 36 percent of India are likely to suffer from major depression at some point in their lives. In 2012, India accounted for the highest estimated number of suicides in the world.

So anyhow, you get the drift. This poster is a nice little guide to living well, and being a decent human being and getting a little joy out of life. But NOT guide to cope with depression. Almost all these instructions are nearly impossible to follow if you are depressed. — Sandhya Menon (@TheRestlessQuil) June 28, 2018

To understand the common misconceptions and myths around depression in India, Firstpost had spoken to Prachi Akhavi, a clinical psychologist working with Ehsaas, a psychotherapy Clinic at Ambedkar University Delhi:

"In India, there are many myths around depression. Quite often, it is dismissed as 'just sadness'. This leads to a belief that it's a choice one has made and can be stepped out of without professional or even familial help," Akhavi said.

Read more about depression, its types and symptoms.