ISLAMABAD: Depression is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease and affects around 350 million people in all communities across the world.
In Pakistan, depression accounted for 6 per cent of all mental illnesses and was witnessed to be increasing due to many issues, including economic loss, insecurity, political uncertainty, unemployment, stressful working conditions, gender discrimination and disruption of the social networks.
Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Department of Psychiatry Head Professor Dr Rizwan Taj said that, “Depression is becoming a common global issue especially in developing countries.”
Dr Taj said that almost one million lives were lost annually due to suicide, which translated to 3,000 suicide deaths every day. In fact, depression had been identified as the leading cause of disease burden for women in both high-income and low- and middle-income countries, he added.
He further said that, “A depressive disorder is an illness that involves the body, mood and thoughts. It affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months or even years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people who suffer from depression.”
Moreover, Dr Taj said that depressive disorders often started at a young age and reduced a person’s everyday mental and physical functioning. For these reasons, depression was the leading cause of disability worldwide in terms of total years lost due to disability, he added.
The Capital Development Authority Hospital Department of Psychiatry Head Dr Anwarul Haq said that, “Research in developing countries suggests that maternal depression may be a contributing factor in the poor growth patterns witnessed in young children. This risk factor could mean that maternal mental health in low-income countries may have a substantial influence on growth during childhood. Due to this reason, depression is not only affecting this generation but will continue to damage the mental health of future generations as well.”
He said that depression was a common mental disorder that resulted in depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, decreased energy, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, and poor concentration among patients.
Dr Anwar also said that these problems could become chronic or recurrent and lead to substantial impairments in an individual’s ability to take care of his/her everyday responsibilities. At its worst, depression can lead to suicide, he added.
Managing depression had been known to play a significant part in a patient’s life, and doing so could positively transform the entire outlook of society in the eyes of the depressed people. It is also important to mention here that depression as a disorder could be reliably diagnosed and treated in primary care.
Preferable treatment options for the disease consisted of basic psycho-social support combined with anti-depressant medication or psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavior therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy or problem-solving treatment.
