Hopelessness and isolation are major factors for suicide: Psychiatrist

Ashit Sheth, one of India's best known psychiatrists, tells Aditi Phadnis and Pavan Lall what it means to suffer from depression and how to deal with it.

Depression is a highly misunderstood condition. Can you explain what it is?

Depressive disorders have varied manifestations—individuals who suffer from depression may experience complaints of pain or some physical symptoms like weakness, sleeplessness, or breathlessness. Doctors attending to them tend to respond more to physical symptoms and miss underlying depression. Doctors during their curriculum do not get adequate exposure in detecting and treating emotional disorders. Here’s the thing: Surveys worldwide have established that depression is