NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION INCREASES

The number of people with depression keeps increasing by day. Most people get depressed without realizing it.  According to data from the World Health Organization, mental health disorders account for nearly half of disease burden in the world’s adolescent and young people.

 Twenty seven percent of the world’s young population between the ages of 10-24 years suffers mental illness. Mental health disorders were the most prevalent source of disability for young people worldwide accounting for 45percent of total morbidity.

Depression is a very common condition. People with depression often feel sad for no reason. They often lose interest in their normal daily activities and may spend their time worrying and feeling tensed. It is common for people with depression to have regular headaches or pains in other parts of their body, have persistent sadness, thought of suicide. They may have indecisiveness insomnia (inability to sleep) or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping) almost all activities nearly every day and significant weight loss or weight gain. Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions are some of the symptoms of depression.

There are many possible causes of depression. It may be caused by a very stressful event like losing a loved one. A person may also become depressed over time if he or she is unhappy with personal situations. For example they may feel lonely, over-worked or undervalued. The use of alcohol and illicit drugs can also cause depression.

WHO defines mental health as not just the absence of mental disorder but also a state of well being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential can cope with normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully and is able to make meaningful contribution to his community. Experts say the fast-paced world in which young people find themselves today also contributes to some of the challenges they face with their mental health.

The situation seems gloomy for affected young people in the country, it has become very difficult for them to seek professional care from service providers because of the stigma attached to such mental health facilities.

The good news is that it is possible to manage depression.  Managing depression involves a person talking about their problems and making lifestyles changes which will impact positively on your health.

1.      Learn to relax: Find a quiet place. Make sure nobody distracts you for the next ten minutes

2.      Talk to friends: talking about your problems is the best way of managing them

3.      Have fun : spend time doing positive thing that make you happy

4.      Make a list of your problems and tackle them one by one

Remember seek medical health early whenever you notice symptoms of depression. Take life easy and don’t worry yourself about things that will make you depressed.