Depression and stress are increasing daily in modern society and modern scientific methods are unable to solve them or manage the mind. But Hinduism succeeds in controlling the mind.
Humankind has devised and continues to devise various ways to train and manage the mind. Most of these methods look for symptoms of illness of the mind and venture to correct or cure them. This is a symptomatic approach much like many branches of medicine. The problem with this approach is that the mind itself is considered to be healthy in its natural state and the need for changing its ways arises only when things have become unmanageable or when there is some sign of malady of the mind.
However, Hinduism teaches us that it is not wise to take for granted the natural state of the mind. Many spiritual and philosophical traditions have found the answer to the problem of the mind, that the mind itself is the problem.
Instead of waiting for it to display signs of illness, it is wise to make the mind incapable of displaying anything! It is because the mind displays imaginary projections onto the reality that is Brahman, that we suffer constantly; sometimes we call this outwardly as suffering, sometimes we fool ourselves to think that it is happiness. This suffering is what leads a human being to pursue religion, to find a way out of all suffering. This, one does by the help of the mind, without realizing that the mind is the root of all suffering.
The key to understanding why the mind is the cause of all suffering is to first understand that the mind is the one that gives us false images of certainty and perfection in a mirage of the world, where there can never be either of those.
The cause of all problems, according to Maharishi Patanjali, are thoughts that cause disturbances or waves in the mind. But, the mind derives its existence from thoughts. Therefore, the eradication of thoughts means the eradication of mind. When we remove the projector that is the mind, we can see the white screen that is the true reality, Brahman. No more projections, no more variegated hues of the vain dreams of happiness and suffering, no more hopes and aspirations leading to dejections and frustrations.
Source - excerpts from Prabuddha Bharata magazine January 2019 issue page 23 -24.