Depression can be defined as a mental disorder often characterized by sustained sadness in mood and a lack of interest in nearly all activities throughoutover a period of one to two weeks. A depressive disorder is quite different from the day-to-day griefsadness that many people experience from time to time but which is not sustained long enough to be termed as a disorder.
Depression affects over 300 million people wWorldwide,; 4% to 5% being the adult population. Depression can affect everyone. It is found in all parts of the World and in every country, whether high, middle or low income ofincomeof, and in almost all ages from young to old, except in small children.
The burden of depression is very high. It is the leading cause of disability and forms 7.5% of the total gist burden of disability from any health condition. Depression causes mortality, whereby most deaths per year are attributed to suicide. A more significantlarger percentage of people commit suicide when depressed.The World Health Organization (WHO) is doing a lot in raising awareness about this condition. However, several challenges are encountered while finding solutions to this problem. Many patients of depression fail to seek treatment simply because they don’t realize that they are suffering from depression. and Aalso they aren’t aware that their condition is a disorder and can be successively treated. Many people evenalso fail to look for assistance because they feel discriminated against while at work or in any other places. The sScarce supply of services is another problem facing the fight against the disease. More than 50% of people, even in high- income countries like America, are not treated. Those who are tasked with the responsibility of delivering psychotherapies often are unable to diagnose and treat it.
There are scarce resources for the treatment of depression all around the wWorld. Government expenditure in most middle and low- income countries is minimalvery small, whichand this falls to less than 1% of the budget.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is doing a lot in raising awareness about this condition. However, several challenges are encountered while finding solutions to this problem. Many patients of depression fail to seek treatment simply because they don’t realize that they are suffering from depression. and Aalso they aren’t aware that their condition is a disorder and can be successively treated. Many people evenalso fail to look for assistance because they feel discriminated against while at work or in any other places. The sScarce supply of services is another problem facing the fight against the disease. More than 50% of people, even in high- income countries like America, are not treated. Those who are tasked with the responsibility of delivering psychotherapies often are unable to diagnose and treat it.
There are scarce resources for the treatment of depression all around the wWorld. Government expenditure in most middle and low- income countries is minimalvery small, whichand this falls to less than 1% of the budget.
African and Asian countries have high prevalence cases of depression. Since there no specific cause for depression, it is assumed to be triggered by factors such as: divorce, family conflicts, unemployment, poverty, discrimination, substance abuse, and bullying. Depression can also be inherited from parents who are suffering from bipolar disorder. These, among other cases, are all trigger factors for depression. It is not surprising that youths who are jobless, suffer from mental disorders. IndeedCertainly, most of them suffer from depression when compared to the general population.
The WHO proposes the following solutions for strengthening healthcare systems:.
There is a need to allocate enough resources for health care, train non-specialists who can work under the supervision and support from specialists by delivering quality care. Essential services such as medicine should be provided at all levels of healthcare systems.
Cooperation with other related healthcare departments is also fundamental. These may include: maternal, humanitarian, and HIV departments. Other sectors, such as the law, education, and labor, need to be enlightened on the importance of identifying and helping their patients.