A very top of the day to you my readers, how has it been? Wow, this is the first write-up for the year 2024, although it’s a little late, however, better later than never. HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Continuing the last post on Avoidant Personality Disorder, I will look at DEPRESSION today. A serious mental health disorder in our society, quite a lot of people have experienced it, some are still experiencing it, while some will still experience it. While many could deal with it because they got help at the right time, some were not so fortunate.
A little background information on depression
Depression is a major mental health illness (a disorder of the brain), but it is often mistaken as just a feeling of sadness or mood swings, no it’s much more than that. According to the World Health Organization, about 3.8% of the total world population suffers from depression, 5% of the adult population globally suffers from depression (male 4%, female 6%) and about 5.7% among those who are 50 years and above. Suicide resulting from depression is the leading cause of death among ages 16-29 years (www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression).
Hmmm, let’s do the math, World-o-meter 2024 puts the world population at about 8 billion (www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-country). This means that 308 million people are suffering from depression. Just Imagine the population size of these countries put together (France, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, and South Africa) that is what we are talking about. For me, it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. The Hope for Depression Foundation Research (HDRF) said severe depression has been rated in the same disability category as terminal-stage cancer and is also a cause of disability and a major contributor to the global burden of disease. This is not to scare us but to show the magnitude of what we are dealing with. So, I can safely say it is a major global mental health issue.
What Causes or leads to depression?
In my opinion, the economic situation in the world today could be one of the major causative factors. What you hear and see on the news and social media is depressing enough, now joined by a financial crisis, global recession, job loss, health crisis, and a lot more. There is a need for us individually and collectively to be mindful of our mental health at a time like this.
According to experts, depression can be caused by abuse of any form (domestic or workplace), severe losses of loved ones or property or finances, or stressful events. For many people in today’s world, stress is second nature, young people in their early 30s or 40s are having strokes or heart attacks due to excessive stress.
It’s not easy to open up about being depressed or going through a tough time, however, there is a need for one to seek help when it is needed.
In the next write-up, I will be looking at how depression can be treated both medically and conventionally. Poor concentration, low self-worth, or guilt, feeling hopeless about the future, always having suicidal thoughts, inability to sleep well at night, and always feeling sad or constantly in a bad mood or low on energy, are all signs of depression. Let us all be our brothers and sister’s keeper. If you notice you are experiencing any of these symptoms or someone you know is, please speak up, call for help, or reach out to someone, don’t do life alone that is why we have family, friends, and the community.
Your thoughts, experience, and contributions on this topic are welcomed
Jewels in the Desert 