DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
webforum
HTML https://webforum.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: General Discussion
*****************************************************
#Post#: 1382--------------------------------------------------
Highlighting Depression on World Mental Health Day
DIR By: Alfonso21
Date: August 16, 2013, 10:20 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Highlighting Depression on World Mental Health Day
To celebrate World Mental Health Day, National Human Rights
Commission organized a conference to discuss the most pertinent
mental health issue - Depression. The conference was titled
"Depression: A Global Crisis" and Dr. Sameer Malhotra from Max
Super Speciality Hospital, Saket was invited as a guest speaker
to speak on depression in the Indian context. Depression can
affect anyone and it is one of the most widespread illnesses,
often co-existing with and even causing other serious illnesses.
World Mental Health Day aims to encourage governments and civil
society around the world to address depression as a widespread
illness that affects individuals, their families and their
peers, to recognize that it is a treatable medical condition.
People should be alert to the early signs of depressive
disorder-it can affect anyone, from young people to seniors.
It has become so common that it is being called the common cold
of mental illness. The average age of the onset of depression
seems to have dropped over the years, now even school going
children are presenting with different types of depression.
Depression affects all age groups. Young children are facing
depression in the backdrop of increasing pressure of studies,
less time available from parents for quality interaction, child
neglect, parental discord, substance/alcohol use in the family.
Late teens and young adults' battle with broken relationships,
substance misuse, disturbed family environment, career
restrictions, lack of opportunities, forced decisions, and
examination stress- all contribute to condition which creates
depression. Older people report job stress, odd working hours,
marital discord, adjustment issues and problems related to
raising or bearing children as pertinent causes for the same.
Hormonal changes and family discord also results in problems
which may lead to depression. Women are particularly vulnerable
with biological changes associated with pregnancy and child
birth. The elderly have to cope with illness, loneliness or with
loss of a partner, children settling abroad, apart from
lifestyle changes after retirement which may lead to them
becoming depressed. Changing lifestyles, growing materialism
with increasing wants/desires at one end and unmet needs at the
other, increasing demands on an individual, shrinking social
support networks, meeting deadlines and pressures and trying to
catch with growing pace of life; less time for
relaxation/recreation/enjoying constructive hobbies and healthy
interaction; substance and alcohol misuse, disturbed sleep-wake
cycle can all contribute to the rise in depression.
Clinical Depression is due to neuro chemical imbalance in the
brain, and various treatment and therapies are used in
conjunction with lifestyle changes to tackle the same. In his
address, Dr. Sameer Malhotra, Head of the Psychiatry Department
at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket mentioned that there are
various factors which contribute to the growing depression
amongst people at large today. Depression can be mild, moderate,
or severe, with or without psychotic symptoms, Unipolar and
Bipolar. However, depression is treatable, but people rarely
discuss this problem. There is a need for social awakening, and
sensitisation towards people with such symptoms. Timely
intervention is absolutely critical in terms of dealing with
patients with symptoms of depression.
*****************************************************
Page 1 of 1