Contributed by Prabhdeep Singh, Co-Founder & CEO, RED Health

During a medical emergency, the initial minutes tend to determine the patient's outcome in the long run. The "10-minute response" target is aimed at providing assured access to trained care to an individual in that timeframe. It can make a serious difference in survival rates and recovery. India currently stands at 49th position out of 89 nations in the 2025 Health Index, a reminder of the distance left to achieve in establishing responsive healthcare structures.

India has now surpassed China as the most populous country with over 1.44 billion people in our own country and this comes with pride and responsibility both. This milestone raises a pressing question. Do we have the medical infrastructure and response capability to match our demographic scale? The availability of only 15,283 BLS (Basic Life Support) ambulances, 3,918 Patient Transport Vehicles (PTVs) and 3,044 Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances should be a national concern. For a country of over 1.4 billion, this is a call to action.

Our country's vast geography as well as diverse terrains and gaps in infrastructure are also adding on to the challenges, especially in rural and hilly regions where road connectivity is constrained. Ambulances cannot consistently reach these areas, making deployment patchy and, at times, unreliable. In a nation as diverse as ours, it takes a lot including discipline, strategic foresight, planning and dedication to provide equal and widespread access to healthcare services.

Creating a Unified Emergency Response Framework

Fragmented services cause delays in the most critical moments. A connected framework can bring public and private emergency providers onto a single network that operates with clarity and speed. This further means linking regional control rooms, ensuring GPS navigation in every ambulance, and creating standard communication protocols between field teams and hospitals. The result is a smooth line from the first call to hospital admission. With advanced dispatch and location tracking, the closest ambulance can be sent immediately, saving precious minutes. Our long-term vision must be to establish a nationwide command grid where no emergency call goes unanswered and every location is within a 10-minute reach, regardless of geography. However, achieving this in India will require connectivity backed by a strategic placement of vehicles in high-priority zones identified through rigorous data analysis.

Strategic Deployment of Advanced Life Support Units

Ambulances with essential life-saving equipment can make the difference between life and loss. Advanced Life Support (ALS) units equipped with ventilators, defibrillators, and monitoring devices enable paramedics to stabilize patients on the way to the hospital. Placing these units in high-demand areas such as accident-prone roads, crowded markets, and industrial clusters ensures they are close to likely emergencies.

In a nation with heavy traffic, narrow roads, and rough terrain, response speeds are inevitably challenged. That is why identifying and continuously updating operational “hotspots” for ALS deployment must be a national priority. This involves mapping zones by emergency call density, accident history, and population concentration and in the future, moving towards predictive deployment based on live traffic, weather, and large public gatherings.

Data-Driven Planning & Bolstering Human Response Layer

Data, apart from being a record of past incidents, is a tool to direct the future of emergency care. By examining trends in past incidents, it is easier to know where emergencies happen most often. This can inform the placement of ambulances, training for local responders, and supplies that need to be stocked. It can also identify the time of day or season when a particular emergency happens most often so that staffing schedules can be planned accordingly. By monitoring performance metrics like average response time, patient outcomes, and equipment availability, adjustments can be made in real time. For India, data-led decision-making is essential to overcome geographical and infrastructural constraints, and every minute saved translates directly into lives saved.

Equipment delivers its value only when handled by trained professionals. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and paramedics are the first medical contact for many patients, making their expertise essential. Their training should follow global standards such as those set by the American Heart Association (AHA) for life support and resuscitation. Regular updates, certification renewals, simulation drills and scenario-based learning can ensure readiness all times. Clear career pathways and recognition programs can also help retain experienced personnel. The ultimate goal must be for every paramedic in India to match the skill and confidence of the best emergency networks globally so that care quality is never dictated by geography.

Building Digital Readiness & Taking Early Action

Speed in emergencies is also about information flow. Digital tools can connect ambulances to hospitals in real time, so doctors are ready before the patient arrives. With 5G-enabled communication, vital signs can be shared instantly. This ensures hospitals prepare equipment, specialist teams, and treatment plans without delay. When combined with hotspot-based deployment, digital tracking can ensure ambulances are positioned to respond within the 10-minute target, even in high-traffic cities or remote rural belts.

Preparedness starts prior to ambulance response. If the public is aware of the warning signs of a heart attack, stroke, or serious injury, they can call for assistance earlier. Training citizens not only in CPR but also in the correct use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and bleeding control enables them to act within the first few minutes. AEDs are appearing in more public spaces, but without citizen training, their potential remains untapped. Public medical kits located in transportation centres, stadiums, and shopping malls can have life-saving equipment available until professional rescue arrives.

Takeaway

The 10-minute response is not an aspiration, it must be our standard. India’s unique operational challenges demand a layered approach, strategic vehicle placement in mapped hotspots, data-led decision-making, global-standard training, and active citizen participation. As a nation, we must treat the 10-minute target as a non-negotiable benchmark for readiness. Policymakers, healthcare leaders and citizens must unite to create a system where every emergency receives a rapid, capable, and coordinated response. Every life saved in those first 10 minutes is proof that preparedness is the best investment we can make.

Global warming is changing how diseases spread, and dengue fever is a prime example. Once mostly found in tropical areas, this mosquito-borne illness could increase by as much as 76% in parts of Asia and the Americas by 2050.

This is according to a new, comprehensive study that found that even small increases in temperature are significantly boosting the disease's spread. The research provides the first direct evidence that a warming climate has already made dengue more widespread.

Dengue fever can cause flu-like symptoms, and without proper care, it can lead to severe bleeding and even organ failure.

What Does "Goldilocks Zone" for Dengue Mean?

Mosquitoes that carry the dengue virus do best in a certain temperature range. The number of dengue cases is highest when the temperature is around 82°F. This "Goldilocks Zone" means that a small rise in temperature can cause a big increase in the disease. For example, places that were once too cool for dengue are now becoming perfect for it, leading to a big increase in cases in countries like Mexico, Peru, and Brazil.

The study found that climate change was responsible for an extra 4.6 million dengue infections each year between 1995 and 2014. Depending on how much more the planet warms, cases could go up by another 49% to 76% by 2050.

How Can We Protect Our Health From Rising Dengue?

With warmer weather and the monsoon season, there's a sharp rise in diseases like dengue and malaria, as well as viral fevers and respiratory infections. According to Dr. Neha Sharma, Attending Consultant at Fortis Hospital, these illnesses can severely affect vital organs. For example, dengue can harm the liver and platelets, while untreated malaria may damage the kidneys and brain. Dr. Sharma advises people to be aware of the early symptoms, such as:

• Persistent high fever
• Severe body ache and rashes
• Sudden fatigue or unexplained vomiting
• Sudden breathlessness or a drop in urine output

If you experience these symptoms for more than 48 hours, she recommends getting blood tests like a CBC, dengue NS1, and malaria antigen test to get an early diagnosis. Other important diagnostic tools include a chest X-ray and an ultrasound of the abdomen. She also highlights crucial precautions that are often overlooked:

• Avoid walking in floodwaters to prevent infections like leptospirosis.
• Regularly clean AC filters and damp areas to stop bacterial and fungal growth.
• Stay well-hydrated, as dehydration can worsen these infections.
• Do not self-medicate with painkillers or antibiotics, as this can hide symptoms and lead to worse complications.

How Can Be Combat Illnesses Like Dengue On A Global Scale

The researchers say their estimates are likely on the conservative side, as they don't include data from large areas like India or Africa where detailed information is hard to get. The recent appearance of dengue cases in parts of the U.S. and Europe shows that the disease is already expanding its reach. To combat this growing threat, the study highlights two crucial approaches:

Climate Mitigation

By reducing greenhouse gases, we can lessen the future spread of dengue. By reducing greenhouse gases, we can lessen the future spread of dengue.

Adaptation

We need to improve ways to control mosquitoes, make our healthcare systems stronger, and get ready to use new vaccines.

The findings from this study could also be used to hold governments and companies accountable for the damages caused by climate change. As one of the study's authors noted, climate change is not just about the weather—it's having a direct and dangerous effect on human health.

Striving to do well is part of being human. But when “doing well” quietly shifts into “never enough,” the weight can become unbearable. For most perfectionists, that drive that initially felt like motivation can start tearing their mental well-being down, ensnaring them in loops of self-blame and hopelessness. New research indicates that this constant striving for perfection is not only emotionally depleting—it could potentially be deadly, increasing the likelihood of suicidal thinking and behavior.

Also Read: World Suicide Prevention Day 2025: Theme, History, And Significance

Perfectionism is even lauded as a badge of achievement. The student with impeccable grades, the colleague who always meets deadlines, the parent seeking the TV-perfect family—all are qualities society is wont to valorize. But a study at the University of Ontario in Canada introduces a cautionary note: perfectionism might have an unseen price tag. Beyond worry and burnout, it might heighten the risk of suicide ideation.

When researchers analyzed 45 studies with more than 11,700 participants, they found 13 out of 15 measures of perfectionism were linked to elevated suicidal thoughts. The strongest associations came from what psychologists call “socially prescribed perfectionism”—feeling pressured to meet the expectations of parents, teachers, bosses, or society at large. Unlike striving for personal excellence, this kind of perfectionism fuels a sense of never being enough.

As the study, published in the Journal of Personality, puts it: perfectionists “are their own worst critics; good enough is never enough.”

How Is Perfectionism Linked To Suicidal Ideation?

The findings go beyond isolated cases. A 2007 study interviewing friends and families of suicide victims found more than half described their loved ones as perfectionists. In 2013, researchers noted that over 70% of young men who had died by suicide had placed extraordinarily high demands on themselves.

The University of Ontario analysis helps clarify the picture. While traits like being tidy, organized, or holding others to high standards did not predict suicidality, internalized pressure—especially when tied to others’ expectations—was consistently associated with higher risk. Importantly, longitudinal studies confirmed that perfectionism can precede suicidal thinking, not just co-occur with it.

This matters because suicide remains the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, claiming more than 44,000 lives annually. Millions more engage in self-harm or struggle with intrusive suicidal thoughts. If perfectionism truly contributes to that risk, it warrants serious attention.

When Achievement Culture Turns Toxic

Perfectionism does not exist in a vacuum. Cultural, educational, and economic forces shape the pressure individuals feel to succeed. Journalist Jennifer Wallace explored this in her 2023 bestseller Never Enough, which captured the voice of parents in high-achieving communities. In surveys with over 6,500 respondents, 73% said selective college admissions were seen as essential to future success, while 83% admitted they viewed their children’s achievements as reflections of their own parenting. Yet nearly nine out of ten wished childhood could be less stressful.

That tension mirrors what psychologists like Thomas Curran at the London School of Economics call “toxic achievement culture.” Young people are growing up in environments where their worth seems tethered to test scores, trophies, and résumés. For perfectionists, this can be suffocating. Instead of striving for growth, they spiral into fear of failure.

The concept of “mattering” has emerged as a counterweight. Defined as the feeling that one is valued and adds value beyond accomplishments, mattering provides a buffer against perfectionism’s corrosive effects. It shifts the focus from being impressive to being important—to one’s family, peers, and community.

Role of Sleep As A Hidden Risk Factors

Perfectionism isn’t the only trait linked to suicide ideation. New research highlights another, often overlooked factor: sleep disturbance. A Stanford Medicine-led study tracking nearly 9,000 children found that kids with frequent nightmares or chronic sleep problems at age 9 or 10 were significantly more likely to report suicidal thoughts or behaviors by age 12.

The reasons may lie in the role of REM sleep in processing emotions. Nightmares that are repetitive and distressing disrupt this process, leaving children vulnerable to emotional dysregulation. Encouragingly, treatments like imagery rehearsal therapy—a method of rewriting recurring nightmares—have proven effective and medication-free.

These findings underscore a larger truth: suicide risk is rarely explained by a single factor. Perfectionism, sleep problems, family conflict, depression—all can interact in ways that push vulnerable individuals toward crisis. The challenge for clinicians and families is to identify these patterns early.

Why Perfectionism Can Be So Dangerous For Your Life?

What makes perfectionism distinct from healthy ambition is its rigidity. Excellence allows for mistakes as part of learning. Perfectionism views mistakes as proof of inadequacy. A perfectionist may think, “If I don’t succeed flawlessly, I’ve failed entirely.” This all-or-nothing mindset breeds chronic dissatisfaction, shame, and hopelessness.

Complicating matters, perfectionists tend to be conscientious. This can make them more likely not just to contemplate suicide but to plan and follow through with it. The same discipline that earns them academic medals or career promotions can tragically increase the lethality of their actions.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Experts agree that more research is needed. The bulk of current studies focus on White, Western populations, leaving open questions about cultural differences. Longitudinal studies remain limited, and it is unclear how much perfectionism contributes to suicide risk compared to depression, anxiety, or trauma.

Still, the evidence is strong enough to demand action. For parents, educators, and health professionals, the message is not to eliminate high standards but to reshape them. Children and adults alike need to know that they matter even when they stumble. For communities, it means fostering environments where effort and growth are valued over flawless outcomes. For clinicians, it calls for assessing perfectionism as part of suicide risk screenings.

Shifting the conversation

Perhaps the hardest step is cultural. In a world that constantly rewards “the best,” redefining success as resilience, creativity, and connection is not simple. But it may be lifesaving.

As the University of Ontario researchers warned, perfectionists live “in an endless loop of self-defeating over-striving.” Breaking that loop requires both personal support and societal change.

Suicide prevention is never about a single fix. It’s about noticing when someone’s pursuit of perfection is masking pain, addressing the risk factors we can, and reminding people that being human—not perfect—is enough.

High achievers, caring parents, ambitious students, or dedicated professionals—all can fall into the trap of believing they must constantly prove their worth. What this really means is that even the strongest, most capable people may quietly wrestle with feelings of failure or not being “good enough.”

It’s far more common than we often admit. Many of us have felt the sting of comparing ourselves to others or the exhaustion of holding ourselves to impossible standards. That doesn’t make you weak—it makes you human.

What can make a difference is not carrying the weight alone. Opening up to a trusted friend, family member, or counselor can be the first step toward relief. Sometimes, all it takes is hearing someone say, “I’ve felt that way too,” to break the silence. Sharing your struggles doesn’t burden others, it gives them a chance to be there for you. And often, they may have wisdom or simply empathy that lightens the load in ways you didn’t expect.

It’s okay to seek help. It’s okay to not be perfect. And it’s more than okay to let others walk alongside you when life feels heavy.

Disclaimer: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, help is available. In the United States, call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In the United Kingdom, you can dial 111 for urgent support. In India, you can seek support at iCALL Helpline on 9152987821. If you are elsewhere, please check local resources or call your nearest emergency number immediately. You are not alone, and support is available.

Sometimes answers to simple issues can take longer than we’d expect. Many people who struggled with ADHD never got a formal diagnosis until later in life. The sense of understanding prevails as all the things they thought were a personal problem turned out to be due to their untreated mental health problem. This is the exact situation that Martha Plimpton shared.

"The Goonies" star Martha Plimpton recently shared that she felt a sense of "relief" after being diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) four years ago, at the age of 50. In an interview with Page Six, she explained that the diagnosis helped many past experiences make sense. Plimpton wore a necklace spelling out "ADHD" to a recent movie premiere to show that she's "not ashamed" and is happy to share her journey with the world.

Also Read: 'Next Ozempic' Researchers Have Made A New Drug That Aims For 30% Weight Loss And Lesser Side-Effects

What Is ADHD?

ADHD is a developmental disorder defined by ongoing patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The National Institute of Mental Health notes that people with ADHD often struggle with focusing, staying on task, and controlling their impulses. It is considered a developmental disorder because it begins in childhood, but it often continues into adulthood. For adults, ADHD symptoms can show up in different ways, affecting their home life, school, or work.

While many people do know about ADHD, there are still many misconceptions about it.

Can Adults Have ADHD?

Diagnosing ADHD in adults is different from diagnosing it in children. An adult must have shown symptoms before the age of 12. Since it's often hard to remember that far back, a doctor may talk to family members, partners, or friends and review old school records to understand the person's behavior during childhood.

For an official diagnosis, an adult needs to show at least five symptoms of inattention or hyperactivity/impulsivity. A doctor may also have the person complete interviews, checklists, or psychological tests to rule out other conditions and create a treatment plan.

Many people are not diagnosed until they are adults because their symptoms might have been mild in childhood or they had a supportive environment that helped them cope. ADHD in girls and women has also been historically overlooked, but diagnosis rates are now evening out. It's never too late to seek a diagnosis and find a treatment that works.

What Are The Benefits of ADHD Diagnosis?

The American Psychological Association (APA) explains that getting an ADHD diagnosis as an adult can be life-changing. It provides a deeper understanding of past struggles and can lead to improved self-esteem. One study found that adults with a formal diagnosis reported a higher quality of life, including better work productivity and functional performance, compared to those with similar symptoms who were undiagnosed.

What Does Treatment for Adult ADHD Look Like?

Fortunately, there are effective treatments available for adults with ADHD. The most common approach combines different methods, and what works best can vary from person to person.

Medication

The most common medications are stimulants, which can help reduce symptoms.

Psychotherapy

This includes therapies like behavioral and cognitive behavioral therapy, which teach people coping strategies.

Coaching

Some adults find it helpful to work with a life or ADHD coach to learn skills for daily tasks, like time management and organization.

Lifestyle Changes

Simple changes like getting more physical exercise can also help manage symptoms.

People with severe ADHD that affects their work may also be eligible for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).