The President of a Gurudwara Sahib in Surrey told me that so many people in the congregation were suffering from depression that he had to request the BC government to conduct a depression awareness program in the Gurudwara Sahib to help them cope with the problem.                                                                                      

By Dr. Sawraj Singh

For many Punjabis, if there is a heaven on earth, then that has to be in Canada. Getting a Canadian visa is a dream of many Punjabis and to fulfill their dream, they are willing to do anything; including selling their ancestral lands or houses, spending their lifetime savings, borrowing money or marrying someone who they really do not like or care for. The will to migrate to Canada has already reached the level of desperation for many. However, when many Punjabis reach the land of their dreams, ironically, instead of being elated they become depressed.                                                                    

Based upon my own experience as well as on the scientific data, depression among Punjabis is extremely common and is much higher compared to the average Canadians. I will like to share my personal experiences. Some years ago, the Alumnis of the Government Medical College, Patiala held their annual meeting in Vancouver, BC. The main speaker was a psychiatrist practicing in BC. He said that depression among the Punjabis was extremely common and it was a major problem of the Punjabi community. He said that in some cases, the entire family was devastated by this problem.                                                

The President of a Gurudwara Sahib in Surrey told me that so many people in the congregation were suffering from depression that he had to request the BC government to conduct a depression awareness program in the Gurudwara Sahib to help them cope with the problem.         

A psychiatrist practicing in BC wrote to me that he and his son are both practicing psychiatry and they were overwhelmed with the number of patients suffering from depression. He said that his son has closed his private practice and has taken a job. He said that he has stopped accepting new patients and has limited his practice to the established patients only.                                                                    

There are climatic, cultural, social and economic factors responsible for pushing people into depression. Colder climate and less sunlight play a role. Sunlight and exercise help release endorphin (the feel good hormone) that helps to prevent depression. In winter, there is less sunlight and decreased activity. Both of these suppress endorphin release and that can push people into depression. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that is related to changes in seasons. Generally, it starts in the late fall or early winter and goes away during the sunnier days of spring and summer. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin level that may trigger depression. Serotonin is a brain chemical that affects mood. Similarly, change in season can disrupt the body's level of melatonin. Melatonin plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.          

Most of the first generation immigrants face cultural stress because most of the cultural values in Canada (west) and Punjab (east) are almost diametrically opposite of each other. Many feel torn between the two opposing value systems, and that raises their stress level and can eventually push them into depression. Soon after migrating, most of the migrants realize that the western society is an extremely individualistic society with very little social and familial support. For all practical purposes, family, the most fundamental unit of the society, has disintegrated. With an intact family structure, most of the problems of an individual are shared by the family and are diluted. With the loss of the sharing and dilution, an individual's problems are exaggerated, leading to increased stress that can push them into depression.                                                                                                                                                                    

Economic factors also contribute to depression. The new immigrants are under tremendous financial stress. The first stress is finding a proper and stable job. The next big stress comes from buying a house. The Punjabi community puts tremendous pressure on the immigrants to buy a house as soon as possible. The already settled migrants bought houses when prices were reasonable. The new immigrants are pressured to buy equivalent houses. The prices have gone up considerably. Moreover, the new immigrants have limited financial resources and that generates big stress.                                                                      

Alcohol is another big contributory factor. Many times, depression starts with symptoms of anxiety. Alcohol helps with these symptoms. However, alcohol is a universal depressant. Therefore, it makes depression worse. It pushes people with mild depression to serious depression.                                            

Our perception of Canada is very one-sided. We are only presented with the positive aspects of the Canadian life and tend to hide the negative aspects. We only talk about what people gained and never talk about what they had to lose. This is an unbalanced approach. True happiness can never be achieved in a state of imbalance. Even though depression is a very serious problem of the Punjabi Canadian community, yet people in Punjab are completely unaware of this problem. This approach is aggravating the problem because people are migrating to Canada with unreal expectations. This is a perfect recipe for frustration. Frustration leads to depression. Guru Nanak made writers aware of their duty to tell the truth. Let us do our duty and tell the truth about depression so that people can make a better and more balanced decision about migrating to Canada.                 

Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at sawrajsingh@hotmail.com.