What to know about depression

Haju works in a corporate organization and lived in affluence with his family.  However,  the organization came up with a downsizing policy and  Haju was relieved of  his job. He invested in a real estate business venture and suffered huge losses. He spent the next one year looking for a job to no avail. After […]

Haju works in a corporate organization and lived in affluence with his family.  However,  the organization came up with a downsizing policy and  Haju was relieved of  his job. He invested in a real estate business venture and suffered huge losses. He spent the next one year looking for a job to no avail.

After sometime, his wife noticed he was withdrawn, didn’t have interest in how he looked anymore, sometimes skipping taking his bath. He also avoided religious and social activities and was at times looking confused.

Haju was diagnosed of depression when they visited the hospital.

Salim read as much as he could but every semester he kept having several carryovers. When he got to 300 level and was put on probation, he discovered his thoughts were filled with his academic performance all day. He could think of nothing else and had a huge fear of if he will ever overcome the problem and graduate. He soon started having suicidal thoughts. However, he sought the help of a medical expert on time and overcame the problem.

MacAnthony told Daily Trust that his mother’s journey towards depression commenced when she incurred so much debt in feeding and training her children in school. She was a  widow  and worked as a civil servant in a state where the government owed salaries for months. Two of her oldest children had graduated for some years without jobs and the other three in the university and secondary school respectively needed money for school and health care from time to time. She became severely depressed when she almost lost her last child because of lack of money to take him to the hospital

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines depression as an illness characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest and ability to perform daily activities for a period of over two weeks. It is associated with feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, tiredness and poor concentration.

About 322 million people around the world are affected by depression.

“It is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. In the African region, close to 30 million people suffer from depression,” WHO Regional Director for Africa  Dr Matshidiso Moeti said.

She said everyone was at risk and that stigma and fear of social isolation are significant barriers to seeking help.

According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.

Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, the association said. “Fortunately, it is also treatable. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home,” it added.

The association said depression symptoms could vary from mild to severe and could include:

-Feeling sad or having a depressed mood

-Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed

-Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting

-Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much

-Loss of energy or increased fatigue

-Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., hand-wringing or pacing) or slowed movements and speech (actions observable by others)

-Feeling worthless or guilty

-Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions

-Thoughts of death or suicide

The experts stressed that symptoms must last at least two weeks for a diagnosis of depression.

Dr. Maymunah Yusuf Kadiri,  a  Consultant Neuro-Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist, said depression affects people of all ages, from all walks of life, and in all countries. She said it causes mental anguish and impacts on people’s ability to carry out even the simplest everyday tasks, with sometimes devastating consequences for relationships with family and friends and the ability to earn a living.

“When mild, people can be treated without medicines but when depression is moderate or severe they may need medication and professional talking treatments.”

The doctor explained that depression was on the increase in the country because the risk of becoming depressed was increased by poverty, unemployment, life events such as the death of a loved one or a relationship break-up, financial challenges, physical illness and problems caused by alcohol and drug use.

She said although there are known, effective treatments for depression, fewer than half of those affected in the world (in many countries, fewer than 10%) receive such treatments.

Barriers to effective care, she said, include a lack of resources, lack of trained health care providers, and social stigma associated with mental disorders.

Dr Kadiri who is also the Medical Director of Pinnacle Medical Services, Lagos, said another barrier to effective care was inaccurate assessment. “In countries of all income levels, people who are depressed are often not correctly diagnosed, and others who do not have the disorder are too often misdiagnosed and prescribed antidepressants,” she said.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) said depression was among the most treatable of mental disorders. “Between 80 percent and 90 percent of people with depression eventually respond well to treatment. Almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms.”

Treatment for depression can be in the form of medications, psychotherapy, or “talk therapy, Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) –  a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia – among others.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti said: “Simply talking about depression can help prevent it by breaking down stigma. Seeking help by talking with trusted people can be a first step towards recovery.”

While stating that early recognition of the symptoms was key to preventing depression from becoming a chronic illness, she said the African Region has a critical shortage of qualified professionals for mental health.