Depression in youth

Author: M Zafar Khan Safdar

Sir: A survey conducted on Pakistani medical students in 2014 shows that almost 45.5 percent of these students are suffering from depression and anxiety. This is really an alarming situation because we have a very large proportion of youth in our society and they are the future builders of this country but their unfit mental condition increases the uncertainty of its fate.
The leading cause of distress in our youth is the social pressure to crave a rich and stable lifestyle.
All this social pressure is doing no good as compared to the damage it is causing by producing mentally unstable youngsters who are always worried about their future and therefore cannot focus on their abilities and how to get themselves recognised by just polishing their natural talents. Diverting their energies in the wrong direction exhausts them both physically and mentally.
The best cure for this problem lies in educating our masses about it. It is the duty of parents to be supportive of their children and understand their capabilities. They should not put undue pressure on them, rather guide them and let them choose the right course of action for their lives by themselves, no matter what society says.
AREEBA REHMAN
Islamabad