Earlier this month, on October 10, the world marked World Mental Health Day, a cause that surely merits more than 24 hours. World Mental Health Week or Month would be far more fitting given the magnitude of this problem.
Since 1992, when it was first observed, the day has traditionally been about raising awareness. The old conversation about awareness, however, is becoming repetitive and starting to feel dated. It is time we broadened the conversation and also discussed social factors that may be at the root of this global crisis.
The current rise in mental health problems disproportionately affects young people. Even before Covid-19, mental health problems were spiking in many nations, with young people accounting for the bulk of the increase. A UK-wide study found, for example, that the rates of generalised anxiety disorder trebled among men aged 18- 20. They rose from around 5 per cent in 1998 to just under 15 per cent in 2018.
Similarly, data from the UK's National Health Service revealed that the use of antidepressants doubled between 2008 and 2018 – from 36 to 70.9 million prescriptions per year.
At the more tragic end of the spectrum, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a substantial increase in the rate of suicide by young people over the past decade. Suicide by Americans under the age of 25 increased by 56 per cent between 2007 and 2017, making it the second leading cause of death, after accidents, in the US among this age group.
One might argue that the apparent rise in mental health problems in the US, in this case, is accounted for by a lowering of the diagnostic threshold – that is, a relaxing of the criteria by which we diagnose such conditions.
No matter how dire personal crises seem, there is always hope
Similarly, some people argue that the mental health crisis is merely a consequence of more people now being open and willing to report their symptoms.
While both arguments might account for some of the increase, they do not explain all of it. Well-designed research studies over decades consistently report increases in depression and anxiety symptoms.
For example, a study reported in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry explored trends in adolescent mental health in the UK spanning a quarter-century.
Using identical criteria to assess symptoms, the research team observed a steady rise in childhood depression, with an increase of at least 70 per cent when the study ended in 1999. This trend has continued. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology reported similar increases in the US in child and adolescent mood disorders between 2005 and 2017.
Why do some young people appear to be facing such a hard time, psychologically speaking? One possible reason could be existential threats. When I was a child, between bike rides and playing with action figures, I would occasionally worry about nuclear annihilation.
Besides such fears that every child goes through, today's youth worry also about the climate and the prospect of a future without employment as robotics and Artificial Intelligence reduce the need for humans on the job.
We might also add to this list the threat of future infectious illness pandemics, far deadlier and more contagious than Sars or Covid-19.
And while everyone, regardless of age, encounters these worries, the young may experience despair about the future far more acutely.
After all, it is the young who more fully expect to witness such problems during the prime years of their lives.
Given these looming fears and during a pandemic, it is particularly important to foster realistic optimism and resilience.
Our worst-case scenarios are rarely realised, and new opportunities, ones that we never imagined, frequently arise as if from nowhere. There is always hope and becoming overwhelmed by despair often prevents us from searching for and implementing solutions. In the words of the 13th century Persian poet, Jalal Al Din Rumi: "Ours is not a caravan of despair".
Perhaps future world mental health days could explore the psychological affect of hostilities such as discrimination, hate crimes, unemployment, pollution, and deforestation. These are relevant topics in the context of mental health. Imagine that a city decided to clean up its coastline and plant 10,000 trees.
In doing so, it brought young people from all walks of life together and got them involved in the clean-up and the planting. What kind of affect would that have on mental health?
We can't meaningfully address the mental health crisis if we don't focus on such social and environmental issues too.
No matter how dire personal crises seem, there is always hope. This sentiment is reflected in an Arabic saying: if the end of time comes while you are planting a tree, keep planting.
Justin Thomas is a professor of psychology at Zayed University and a columnist for The National
Brief scores:
Arsenal 4
Xhaka 25', Lacazette 55', Ramsey 79', Aubameyang 83'
Fulham 1
Kamara 69'
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
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German plea
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the German parliament that. Russia had erected a new wall across Europe.
"It's not a Berlin Wall -- it is a Wall in central Europe between freedom and bondage and this Wall is growing bigger with every bomb" dropped on Ukraine, Zelenskyy told MPs.
Mr Zelenskyy was applauded by MPs in the Bundestag as he addressed Chancellor Olaf Scholz directly.
"Dear Mr Scholz, tear down this Wall," he said, evoking US President Ronald Reagan's 1987 appeal to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
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'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
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Recent winners
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6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
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UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
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His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
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Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
Brief scores:
Liverpool 3
Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'
Manchester United 1
Lingard 33'
Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
