Depression can happen to anybody irrespective of success, fame, achievement or class of society: Psychiatrist Dr. Sagar Mundada’s exclusive interview

Noted art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai ended his life allegedly by suicide on 2nd August 2023. His alleged suicide has once again pointed a finger at the increasing number of suicide cases in India.

Almost every day we find news reports talking about suicide cases in India, sometimes it is a student who has committed suicide due to exam pressure, sometimes it is an unemployed youth or a farmer who is unable to repay his loans, sometimes it is a celebrity from the world of entertainment or sometimes it is a teenager who commits suicide due to unfulfilled aspirations and shares a suicide note on social media.

Dr. Sagar Mundada, Mumbai-based Psychiatrist opens up to The CSR Journal in an exclusive virtual interaction. Talking about what triggers suicide the most, Dr. Mundada says, “The two most common reasons of suicide are long standing depression and impulsive decision. Long standing depression can happen to anybody, whether that person is very successful or not so successful. Depression is a medical problem. It is a mental disorder and many celebrities also have talked about it, including Bollywood star Deepika Padukone. So, depression is something that can happen to anybody irrespective of their success, fame, achievement or class of society. If this goes unattended and untreated, then it becomes so severe, that the person, although in the eyes of the world may seem successful and happy, in his/her own eyes, the person starts feeling worthless, helpless and hopeless…”

What are the warning signs that a person is contemplating suicide? Why do youngsters livestream their death or share suicide note on social media? To learn what the doctor has to say, watch the full interview here.

Ahana Bhattacharya can be reached at ahana@thecsrjournal.in