“All the sadness people have is not depression,” says psychiatrist Dr M Chandrasekharan Nair. “Depression is everywhere at all ages which can be easily treated if diagnosed early. But as WHO assesses the problem, by 2030, depression will become the number one cause in terms of WHO’s Burden of Disease index,” says Dr C J John, senior psychiatrist, Medical Trust Hospital, Kochi. Depression can occur from many factors. “The chemical action in our brains, environment and DNA structuring all owes to depression in a person. Studies also show that 70 percent of death by suicide are secondary to depression,” says Dr Chandrasekharan. Depression can also appear camouflaged and hence consulting a general physician would not be enough. “Many a time, people who have disease depression will be having gastric problems, body pain, lose of appetite, lack of sleep, lack in enthusiasm and the like. And people consult general physician who will give medicines to the physical problem alone. Thus the root cause for depression goes unnoticed. Studies show that over 30 per cent of patients who attend to primary physician have depression,” adds Chandrasekharan.
The existing social stigma of consulting a psychiatrist also stops many from seeking professional help. “Lack of awareness still exists and people having problems do not go directly to a psychiatrist as there is a fair chance of society stamping them as mental patients. So first there should be community awareness and people should take the problem as a common issue. General physicians should be given the necessary training to identify depression problems and give the prescription accordingly,” says Dr C J John. “In schools and companies, students and employees should be given life skill exposure to equip themselves to face the difficult situations in life,” adds Dr John.
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