Suicide prevention

Day 567

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In an office in the City, it’s time for the annual appraisal. The young man in question is a graduate trainee, about 22 years old. He is not considered quite up to the mark. His very sweet and steady girlfriend broke up with him by text out of the blue one day and it took him as long as 2 weeks to gather himself back together again. A definite cause for concern! Is his sensitive temperament suited to a career in the City?

Angad Paul, a 45 year old businessman killed himself in November 2015 while the balance of his mind was disturbed. Months prior to that his steel business, Caparo industries went into administration as a result of economic forces well beyond his control but he somehow held himself responsible.

As per an article in the Financial times on 2nd May titled “Taboo over executives’ mental health issues needs to be challenged” by Jonathan Guthrie, senior executives at the apex of an organisation can feel tremendous strain from their isolated positions. In addition, depression and burnout can result from lack of control. However, they are ‘desperately afraid’ that people will know that they have a problem. Stigma everywhere.

However, in 2011 Mr Horta-Osorio, Chief Executive of Lloyds bank went on sick leave after 5 days of insomnia. After a couple of months of rest and medication he came back to steer the bank through an exceptionally difficult phase. 4 years on, he is still in the job.

Stigma gets in the way of sufferers asking for help. It is a huge obstacle to overcome but so worth doing.

 

Day 566

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The much talked about ‘Jurassic Park’ had just been released in New Delhi and tickets had to be booked well in advance. The earliest tickets available were for the 4th of May, which happened to be my EDD, Expected Date of Delivery. So we thought about it and went ahead with the bookings anyway. At worst I would miss it. At best I would watch it. As it turned out I did watch it and loved it, big belly and all. Saagar was born 2 days later, on the 6th of May.

This happened 22 years ago.

That day I stepped into an all-consuming ocean of love and I am still immersed in it. It carries me, guides me and motivates me at every juncture.

This year I will be delivering  my first Youth MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) course on the 6/7 May. This course teaches people how to identify, understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue. In the same way as we learn physical first aid, Mental Health First Aid teaches early recognition of the crucial warning signs of mental ill health so that a better level of recovery can be achieved. It teaches how to effectively guide patient towards the right support services. Most importantly, it helps breakdown the stigma attached with mental illness. In a nutshell, it really endeavours to fill a big gap in our society. MHFA course  was developed in Australia in 2000 and is now internationally recognised in 23 countries.

I think it would be a fitting tribute to Saagar on his 22nd birthday. Things change.

 

 

 

 

Day 565

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What people do may be a better marker of depression than how people say they are feeling. Behavior can be objectively measured using mobile phones. It is an active sensing and prediction platform to identify behavior changes when individuals suffer from common colds, influenza, fever, stress and depression.

Studies have found a strong relationship between location (using GPS) and clinical PHQ-9 scores. The daily pattern, variability and extent of communications can also be analysed to give valuable clues to changing trends in activity. It is possible to monitor depression passively using phone sensor data. This has significant public health implications. Most people are unwilling to answer questions repeatedly over long periods of time, while passive monitoring could improve the management of depression in populations, allowing at risk patients to be treated more quickly as symptoms emerge or monitoring patients’ responses during treatment.

The efficacy of smartphone sensors and self reporting for mental health care has not been proven yet and remains a very important research question in the pervasive health community.

2 billion people already carry their smartphone with them most of the time. Even the cheaper models have sensors that can track movement and activity, generating data to provide insights into our wellbeing.

StayClose is a free family care app, powered by Touchkin’s predictive care platform. The app helps families care for loved ones while being afar by enabling them to know how they are, without having to ask. They can also share a touch or video moment, or do something to help, like send a ride to take them to the doctor.

For example, when a person is depressed, their phone is likely to show more time spent at home, unusually low activity, changes in communication or sleep patterns. It is possible for a machine learning engine to learn anyone’s phone’s normal sensor patterns and generate alerts if unusual activity indicates any health issues.

I look forward to collaborating with Touchkin for a few pilot studies in London.

 

 

 

 

Day 555

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God knows how often I lament that I don’t have half the time I need, to do half the things I want to. I cannot remember when last I had 15 minutes of unclaimed time. I often amuse myself with thoughts of one week’s complete idleness with absolutely no demands on my time. Given how precious time is, fleeting and beyond recall, what a luxury it would be to have enough to squander some as a mere indulgence.

And here I am, at one of my favourite places in the whole world – a little sub-tropical spot unmarked on any tourist map, completely off the beaten track and hidden away like a precious jewel, only to be experienced by a fortunate few. It could easily be called the ‘back of the beyond’ – a remote, verdant green peninsula extending elegantly into a large, calm lake and surrounding itself by clear blue waters on three sides. All I hear is a symphony of a wide variety of bird songs, insect calls, silky-soft rustle of leaves and a background hum of bees.

This is home for 10 days.
I am here to stop. Pause.
Retreat. Relax. Refresh.
Stand back and watch.
Quieten the mind.
Break some thought patterns.
Breathe. Sleep. Rest.
Enjoy nature a hundred percent. Smile.
Forgive.

And learn to love myself again.

 

Day 553

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The husband was a loving and nurturing father.
He slowly became distant.
A bit evasive.
Sometimes hidden behind an impenetrable wall.
Gradually becoming quieter.
Keeping to himself.

The wife was convinced that it was all to do with her.
She thought he didn’t like her company any more.
She felt certain that they were growing apart.
But she couldn’t reach him.
He was too enclosed in his dense cocoon.
She believed that to be her fault too.

He went to her sister to borrow money for the second time.
She dug a little deeper.
She found out that he was a gambler.
Gambling was his addiction.
He was ill. It had nothing to do with his wife.
She got him professional help.
She helped her sister understand his illness.
Over the next 6 months he was back – a 100% with his family.

Saagar was very affectionate and funny.
He liked to go out and be with his friends.
Slowly he started to spend more time on his own.
His birthday falls in early May – too close to the exams.
He stopped celebrating it properly.
He slowly started being difficult with me.

I was convinced that it was all to do with me.
I thought he didn’t enjoy my company any more.
I thought he was actively avoiding me.
I felt certain that it was all to do with me.
I tried but I couldn’t reach him.
He was lost in his own world.

We went to A&E to get help for him for the first time.
They dug a little deeper.
They found out that he had Hypomania.
They helped him get better.
But they didn’t help me understand his illness.
They didn’t think about the effect his behavior had on me.
For sometime I continued to protect myself from him.
I didn’t realize he needed me at that time.
It took me some time to get close to him again.
We both suffered unnecessarily.
We both lost precious time we could have spent together.

Families and carers suffer too.
They need help too.