Published Paper Details:

Mental health is essential for everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status or social category. However, if depression or other psychological problems are found to be more prevalent in a particular social group, it becomes important for policymakers to design need-based interventions that specifically address the vulnerabilities of that group. The psychological problems become even more severe when we look at the elderly population. Older adults are often doubly marginalized--first because of their age and declining social role, and second due to the cultural silence around mental health. Geriatric Depression is a serious concern of the Elderly around the world, particularly in the state of Uttarakhand. With increasing cases and stigma associated with mental health, it becomes difficult to handle the scenario. A complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social elements often leads to depression. This research paper has covered 1200 elderly individuals aged 60 and over who were chosen using the cluster Sampling technique from 18 blocks across 6 districts, which included 90 villages in the Kumaon region and 90 villages in the Garhwal region. It found significant correlation between depression levels and social categories in elderly population of Uttarakhand State. Findings of this research suggest that depression is relatively more common in OBC and SC groups compared to the General group, while ST lies somewhere in between. The level of depression is high in all categories. All elderly people of Uttarakhand need psychological intervention irrespective to their categories to improve their well-being.