Depression (A virus)

 DEPRESSION -:

A Global Public Health Concern

Hy I think am in depression.

Society - what's that? you must have a headache. This is how our society sees it.

Now come to the actual point,

What is depression?

Depression is a constant feeling of sadness and loss of interest, which stops us from doing our normal activities.

Different types of depression exist, with symptoms varying from very minor to severe.

Generally, depression does not result from a single event, but a mix of events and factors.

  To get it in easy language let me put it like a small story-:

 One day a very close friend of mine called me and the first thing he spoke of was "suicide".( Almost 1 million Lives are lost yearly due to suicide, which translates To 3000 suicide deaths every day. For every person Who completes a suicide, 20 or more may attempt to end his or her life (WHO, 2012). I was like what the hell man. Why you wanna do that, if you are in any kind of problem then talk about it maybe I can help. He said I am in " depression". I asked him to tell me in detail, and the reasons were  like not getting a job, not getting enough attention from his loved ones, can't pursue his dreams for the sake of his family. These are small things right I mean everyone goes through it but these little things had a very bad impact on his/our/yours mental health.

It’s important to realize that feeling down at a time is a normal part of life. Sad and upsetting events happen to everyone.

The symptoms of depression can be experienced differently in man, women and children, for example,

1.Mood, such as anger, aggressiveness, irritability, anxiousness, restlessness

2.Emotional well-being, such as feeling empty, sad, hopeless

3.Behaviour, such as loss of interest, no longer finding pleasure in our favourite activities, feeling tired easily, thoughts of suicide, drinking excessively, using drugs, engaging in high-risk activities

4.Sexual interest, such as reduced sexual desire, lack of sexual performance

5.Cognitive abilities, such as inability to concentrate, difficulty completing tasks, delayed responses during conversations

6.Sleep patterns, such as insomnia, restless sleep, excessive sleepiness, nnot sleeping through the night

7.Physical well-being, such as fatigue, pains, headache, digestive problems.

These are some major causes of depressions.

Now let's move on to some facts provided by WHO(WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION) on depression-:

Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression.

Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.

More women are affected by depression than men.

Depression can lead to suicide.

SUICIDE-:Close to 800 00,0 people die due to suicide every year. For every suicide, there are many more people who attempt suicide every year. A prior suicide attempt is the single most important risk factor for suicide in the general population. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15-19-year-olds.79% of global suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries. Ingestion of pesticide, hanging and firearms are among the most common methods of suicide globally.

If We come to India for more research on depression then the below image is the perfect example of how we Indians are struggling through it.

This article below was tweeted by ministry of health on June 28, 2018

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare waded into controversy when it tweeted a poster on Tuesday advising people to ‘cope’ with depression by following a routine, travelling, being creative, taking multivitamins, thinking positive, practising yoga, staying clean, sleeping for a minimum of eight hours, eating fruits and going for walks. Needless to say, this poster has met the wrath of several mental health professionals, and their concerns are not unjustified.

The poster describes depression as a “state of low mood”. Low moods can be triggered by a lot of things. However, feeling low or feeling sad or experiencing grief is not the same as depression. Certain life-events, for instance, such as loss of a loved one, the ending of a relationship or the loss of a job can trigger feelings of sadness, loneliness and grief, and there may be some overlap between grief and depression, but there is a need to seek professional guidance in order to differentiate between the two and help the individual gets the support and treatment that is needed.

Nowhere in the poster has there been a mention of seeking professional help in terms of getting a proper diagnosis and taking help from a mental health professional to deal with the condition.

Around 56,675,969 people in India suffer from depression, as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2015. This amounts to 4.5 per cent of the Indian population, and between 2005 and 2015, the total number of people living with depression has increased by 18.4 per cent. These alarming statistics indicate that mental health issues need to be addressed, and they cannot be ignored any longer.

According to WHO, India has the highest number of suicides in the world – out of the 804,000 suicides recorded worldwide in 2012, 258,000 were in India. Youth in India between 15 and 29 years of age commit suicide at the rate of 35.5 deaths per 100,000 – the highest in the world – and suicide is the leading cause of death among young Indian women.

Now how do we cure it,

1.Regular exercise

2.Getting plenty of sleep

3.Maintaining treatments

4.Reducing stress

5.Building strong relationships with others

6. Getting help from a therapist

: many people don’t go to the doctor for their treatment because they think what people will think about them that they are getting treatment for just depression.

Let’s fight together, To Erase this word from our life.

Stay home, stay safe.