Environmental Aspects
Environmental aspects include the geography/access, pollution, exploitation of natural resources, etc., in India and how those things affect the problem of depression.
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Evidence indicates that environment of India affects Depression in the following major ways:
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Poverty and Poor Living Conditions
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Unsanitary Conditions (Pollution)
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Geography Problems
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Poverty & Poor Living Conditions
Poverty in India largely contributes to the mental health issues experienced. 73 % of people living in India live in rural areas where they lack technology and education (CNN World). This is a problem because it decreases their well being and state of life. A study was done that spanned 33 countries taking a look at poverty and mental health. The study found that "nearly 80 percent of the studies showed that poverty comes with high rates of mental illness" (National Public Radio). This would explain why India experiences a high rate of depression since they also have a high rate of poverty.
To learn more about the slums of India click on this video created by Now This World.
Poverty and mental health interact in a 'vicious cycle' (World Health Organization).
Pollution and Unsanitary Conditions
India struggles with the environmental conditions of their country. The big factor is pollution. 11 out of the 12 most polluted cities on the WHO list were in India (World Health Organization). Pollution in India spans from water pollution to air pollution. Air pollution in India is a huge problem and affects many of the cities. The pollution is seen in the cities as well as the rural areas. India’s hills and mountains also act as basins that trap toxic air over vast swaths of the country, sometimes making the air too dangerous to breathe (VOX). It has effect on everyone that lives in India. India contributes to about 75 percent of the deaths linked to air pollution (NY Times).
Air Pollution Induces Depression
New research into the causes of depression, especially for people living in urban areas, points towards another culprit – air pollution.
Honeywells Article
Scroll.in Article
New York Times Article
Geography Problems
Begin with this video! It describes India's problematic geography from the beginning
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The three main problems with India's geography include, far distance between them and other countries of power, very independent and they are a massive territory. India is far away from other countries because of the Himalayan mountain and the ocean. This makes it difficult to share resources and knowledge. India is also a very large country and has trouble controlling all the people that live their under the government.