Now, psychiatrists prescribe dancing

NEW DELHI: Music has always been known to have therapeutic value but now psychiatrists in the city are prescribing dance to tackle a range of situations causing despair - from the economic downturn to terror. And schools teaching forms of western dance have reported a sudden surge in the number of people opting for their courses.
Deepika Rehani (name changed), who works in a Gurgaon MNC, has been a nervous wreck because of layoffs.``I had anxiety attacks - palpitations and nightmares - every now and then. My psychiatrist suggested dancing even as he put me on medication. I am still anxious but the palpitations have disappeared completely and the nightmares too are fading,'' she says.
``We are organising classes for corporate groups and people who feel isolated and depressed,'' says Nanda Kundu of Kiran's Dance and Rhythm Academy. She has about 600 people enrolled for her classes in NCR.
``We organise classes even in offices or at a suitable time like late evening or on weekends. Our students say an hour of dancing after work helps them destress and forget their anxiety,'' says Nanda.
Lucky Matlani from Ballatino Dance Academy shares her views. ``This is a new dimension to dancing. It's equivalent to a high impact workout. People make a new social group away from their routine life and that gives them a different perspective on various issues,'' he says.
Psychiatrists are endorsing dancing as an alternate treatment along with regular therapy to combat post-trauma or clinical depression. ``There has been an increase of over 25% in people seeking treatment for depression, anxiety, insomnia and adjustment problems since the recession, the Delhi blasts and the Mumbai terror attacks,'' says Dr Jeetendra Nagpal of Vimhans Hospital. ``These people may not be directly affected by these events but witnessing the trauma on TV or reading about it in the papers has made them very vulnerable. These problems can last for months, especially for those who have suffered a personal loss in the recent past.''
Nagpal says they are advising all patients to modify their day to day activities and joining a dance class ``not only helps you de-stress but also keeps you physically fit. We advice this along with enhancing communication skills for speedy recovery from depression.''
Dr Sameer Parikh of Max Hospital agrees with this but says it can't be an isolated treatment. ``Patients get a sense of pleasure, accomplishment and mastery in such classes and feel relaxed and rejuvenated. However, these classes are helpful only as long as they are done with a parallel effort to improve one's situation because dance will not alter reality,'' he says. So, a person who has lost a job needs to look for a job.
Lessons for salsa, cha cha cha, rock and roll, ballroom dancing, western freestyle and even Bollywood dancing come for a monthly fee of up to Rs 1500.
Vijeta, 16, (name changed) enrolled recently at one of the academies. She has been badly affected by the terror strikes and had become ``awkward, sentimental and withdrawn''. A psychiatrist suggested dance which her mother, Asha, too started learning. ``I am happy to say that my vivacious daughter is slowly becoming her normal self,'' she says.