A study at the Arkin Mental Health Institute, Amsterdam, has linked the fast pace of life and work in a city with a 39% increase in mood disorders (depression, bipolar disorder, etc) and 21% rise in anxiety disorders
Illustration/Uday Mohite
Years before EDM hitmaker Avicii, born Tim Bergling, passed away, the DJ had chillingly predicted that his hectic life would eventually result in his death. He was 28 years old, barely older than the members of the '27 club', a list of famous musicians who died at 27 — Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain. Like them, Avicii too had a history of substance abuse to cope with his jet-setting life. Their fame aside, though, a lot of the pressures they faced are what plague the youth all over the world, making suicide the second leading cause of death among young adults under 30, as per the World Health Organisation (WHO).
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Fast and furious life
A study at the Arkin Mental Health Institute, Amsterdam, has linked the fast pace of life and work in a city with a 39% increase in mood disorders (depression, bipolar disorder, etc) and 21% rise in anxiety disorders. A University of Kansas study also associated high-speed living with a 20-fold increase in depression over the past century.
Drug, alcohol abuse
Rockstars Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison are among the most infamous examples of drug-fuelled death. In India too, around 10 suicides are recorded every day due to drug or alcohol addiction. According to US-based Child Trends Data Bank (CTBD), young adults (18-29 years) are at highest risk of addiction-related depression. This is because the age bracket coincides with the legal age for alcohol consumption (21 for beer and 25 for spirits in India). WHO also pointed out that over 80% of the marketing is targeted at youngsters.
Un-social media
While talking to your friend face-to-face or even on the phone can ease your worries, using Facebook can end up making you feel much worse, a study from University of Michigan has shown. The study — carried out among 82 young adults — found that the more people used FB, the lower their life satisfaction.
Family and relationships
Apart from drug abuse, many blame Amy Winehouse's toxic marriage for her untimely death. The University College London found that negative relationships can leave people literally heartbroken and at 1.34 times more risk of death from a cardiac incident. Younger people, especially women, are at greater risk of psychological distress from negative relationships. As our careers take us ever farther away from home, young adults are also more likely to feel the absence of a support system comprised of family and friends. In 2010, the Mental Health Foundation found that young people were more likely (53%) to feel lonely and depressed than older people (32%). A University of Chicago study found that the risk of death increased by 14% among those who reported being lonely — twice as fatal as obesity.
Depression, suicide
Kurt Cobain was said to be struggling with depression before he shot himself in 1994. According to CTBD, depression peaks during early adulthood. In addition to career demands, this is often a stage when people marry or begin to form families, which comes with a new set of stress factors. According to the US Center
for Disease Control and Prevention, suicidal thoughts and attempts are significantly higher in young adults than in people over the age of 30.
14%
Increased risk of dying among lonely people
10
No. of suicides per day in India due to drug or alcohol abuse
10.5
Indian suicide rate per lakh residents
30%
Of world suicides are among the age group 15-29
Experts say
Dr Anjali Chhabria, psychiatrist
'Talking about musicians, they are generally more emotional. Celebrities and common persons do not realise that they are most in danger from themselves than others'
Dr Minnu Bhonsale, psychotherapist
'Sociologically, celebrities are performance and achievement driven. A sudden change, like a new challenger to fame, or even an abusive relationship can push them over the edge'
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