"Pressure Of Being Someone...": Edelweiss' Radhika Gupta On Depression In Youngsters

Radhika Gupta, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, regularly takes to social media to share financial tips and give a sneak peek into her life as an entrepreneur and a working mother. She recently shared her thoughts on depression among young people. Ms Gupta said that one of the main causes of the rise in mental health issues among young people is the growing belief that they should put more emphasis on being someone whose life appears better on Instagram than on trying to be the greatest version of themselves. She wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "The pressure of being someone because their life looks cool on Instagram, rather than being your unique self."

The pressure of being someone because their life looks cool on Instagram, rather than being your unique self. https://t.co/HMn7xRCekG

— Radhika Gupta (@iRadhikaGupta) May 26, 2024

A few days ago, the executive shared how she maintains a balance between work and family life. During a Zerodha event in Bengaluru, she posted a video of her two-year-old son trying to go up the stage to meet her before she started speaking. She described it as a "beautiful chaos" that characterises the work-life balance for many working parents. She wrote in the caption, "I am probably asked about work-life balance at every forum and stage. And I always say the best way to describe it is beautiful chaos. And this is what beautiful chaos looks like. When you go to Bangalore for a working weekend and have to take the kiddo along. And just as you are ready to start speaking Baby Shark looks upto the stage and makes his move. Because the person on stage is not CEO or Shark, but first Mama and always Mama. And so he makes his move. And finance and snuggles mix themselves just like that."

Notably, there has been a growing concern over the rise of depression and other mental health illnesses among young adults in India. According to UNICEF, one in seven Indian youths aged 15 to 24 are always depressed or show little enthusiasm in doing anything. This indicates a notable occurrence of mental health challenges among this age group. Mental health issues can have serious long-term implications.

Numerous factors have been linked by researchers to depression in young Indian adults. These can be biological and genetic, such as changes in brain chemistry and a family history of depression, or they can be environmental and social, such as pressure to perform well in school, parental expectations, social media, shifting social norms, stress or trauma exposure, social isolation, family conflicts, and financial hardship. The issue can also be made worse by the stigma attached to mental health in India, which can prevent people from seeking therapy or help.