Winning the Battle With Depression This World Health Day

According to a recent report in 2017 titled ‘Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders – Global Health Estimates’ by World Health Organisation, 4.5% of total population in India is grappling with depression. It is one of India's leading health problems, a problem people often avoid talking about. People undergoing depression feel aloof and pessimistic. They do not feel comfortable talking about the hardships that they are going through, and all of this because our society still considers this to be a social stigma. Most Indians do not see ‘mental health issues’ as part of health. As per reports, currently there are close to 300 million people all over the world battling depression, and the situation in India is all the more alarming. WHO predicts that 20% of India’s population will suffer from some form of mental illness by the year 2020. We are woefully under-equipped to handle mental health issues on such a large scale. For the 7 crore mentally ill patients in India, there are less than 4000 trained psychiatrists and most of these doctors are concentrated in the metros and two-tier cities.

The current alarming situation
Depression being a key contributor to overall global burden of disease, the UN WHO has declared Depression as the theme of World Health Day 2017. And through this article, I want to share my opinion on how this can be won over with love and care. Various government bodies and celebrities have been trying to speak about how to battle depression, and help create awareness around the same. But to start with, I suggest noticing our close group of friends and family and gauge if any of them are too going through the same.

Identify the one’s going through this
The worst part of depression is that people who don't suffer from it don't understand the patient's situation. Signs that suggest a person is battling depression include a repetitive negative cycle of thoughts, withdrawal from the social life, loss of enthusiasm, and the key one – substance abuse. Depression strains the relationship and often creates distance between closest of people. Make sure, you do not loose any of your relation/friendship in the name depression. Help them fight it out by being a safe place for them, and discuss their feelings. Amid hashtags like #IAmListening #SuicideAwareness going viral on social media, make an actual effort by speaking to people around who are feeling low.

No one can escape it completely. Be vocal and positive
Increasing level of stress is the primary cause of depression, and hence anyone can be a victim of it. Be it a student facing repeated failures, an employee burdened with the pressure of being unproductive, a housewife feeing neglected, a celebrity anxious of losing stardom or a even a small child being constantly compared to his superior friends. This is the biggest shift that we need in our perception of depression – that it can happen to anyone. In situation such as these, many contemplate suicide. It is nothing but a cry for help. But the fact can just not be stressed enough that no matter how bad the times are, they will change and you will be in a better place.

Students need counseling the most
Students in schools and colleges are the worst affected by depression. Apart from applauding the toppers, schools and colleges should put effort in conducting awareness programs where they educate their students about depression and explain how suicide is not the solution. They should have in-house psychiatrist especially for those students who feel they are depressed or are seeking help. The idea is to make students realize that being the toppers of the class should not be considered as the only aim, rather trying to understand things at one’s own mental level, being non-hesitant in discussing the difficult problems in studies, and understanding that everyone is special in their own way.

The latest development – Tackling depression with Machine Learning
AI researchers are now working on how machine learning algorithms can be useful in detecting depression (by making diagnoses from medical scans), the different types of it, and even the ways to cure it. A study published in Psychiatry Research earlier this year showed that MRI scans can be analyzed by machine-learning algorithms to establish the likelihood of someone suffering from the condition. There is a lot of potential in this direction, but we are at a very nascent stage now.

Summing up
Depression is something a large number of people are going to experience at some point in their life. Someone experience it in early stages, while some in the latter. With medical science being advanced, there are proven treatments to depression. Research shows that both medication and psychotherapy are effective treatments, and when used in conjunction with each other, can be the fastest track to getting back to functioning. Simultaneously, we should also overcome the stigma attached to depression and be vocal in discussing the same, like any other serious health issues, such as cancer. Awareness will lead to cure, in a significant way!