Depression

At its worst, depression can lead to suicide. Almost 1 million lives are lost yearly due to suicide, which translates to 3000 suicide deaths every day For every person who completes a suicide, 20 or more may attempt to end his or her life (WHO, 2012)

Burden Bur

In Pakistan

In Rural Punjab 66% of women & 25% of men suffered from Depressive and Anxiety disorders Levels of emotional distress increased with age in both genders Women reported more distress than men British Journal Of Psychiatry(1997),170,

In Urban Rawalpindi 25% of women & 10 % of men suffered from Depressive and Anxiety disorders Levels of emotional distress increased with age Higher levels of education were associated with lower risk of common mental disorders British Journal of Psychiatry (2000)-177,

Impact

Depression is the leading cause of disability for both males and females, whereby the burden of depression is 50% higher for females than males (WHO, 2008) Depression is the leading cause of disease burden for women in both high-income and low- and middle-income countries (WHO, 2008) Research in developing countries suggests that maternal depression may be a risk factor for poor growth in young children (Rahman et al, 2008).

Depression and chronic physical illnesses The comorbidity of depression and many chronic conditions is well established. Chapman DP, Perry GS, Strine TW. The vital link between chronic disease and depressive disorders. Preventing Chronic Disease 2005;2:A14 Depression can be considered as an etiologic and prognostic factor for ischemic heart disease ( it may cause ischemic heart disease) Nicholson A, Kuper H, Hemingway H. Depression as an etiologic and prognostic factor in coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis of 6362 events among participants in 54 observational studies. Eur Heart J 2006;27: A 2012 meta- analysis supports that even subclinical psychological distress as measured by GHQ-12 increases over all medical mortality especially cardiovascular death. Russ TC. et al Association between psychological distress and mortality: individual participant pooled analysis of 10 prospective cohort studies. BMJ 2012; 345:e4933.

Reported prevalence of depression in patients with physical illnesses Surveys show patients with physical illnesses have high prevalence of depression: Rheumatoid arthritis 1 15–36% Parkinson’s disease 2 17% Following myocardial infarction 3 20% Diabetes 4,5 11*–15% Dementia 6 40–50% Breast cancer 7 10–25% Cancer (receiving palliative care) 8 5–26% 1. Bird H, Broggini M. J Rheumatol 2000;27:2791-7; 2. Reijnders JS et al. Mov Disorders 2008;23:183-9; 3. Thombs BD et al. J Gen Internal Medicine 2005;21:30-8; 4. Anderson RJ et al. Diabetes Care 2001;24: ; 5. Gavard JA et al. Diabetes Care 1993;16: ; 6. Wragg RE, Jeste, DV. Am J Psychiat 1989;146:577-87; 7. Fann JR et al. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2008;30:112-26; 8. Hotopf M et al. Palliative Medicine 2002;16:81-97; 9. ESEMed/MHEDEA 2000 Investigators. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2004;109(Suppl 420):21-7.

Prevalence of depressive episode in people with chronic physical conditions Moussavi et al, Lancet 2007; 370, 851-8

Intervention Depression can be reliably diagnosed and treated in primary care, as outlined in the WHO mhGAP Intervention Guide Preferable treatment options consist of basic psychosocial support combined with antidepressant medication or psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavior therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy or problem-solving treatment.

Intervention effectiveness in resource constrained settings Over the past decade, a number of clinical trials have shown the effectiveness of treatment for depression across a range of resource settings. A trial carried out in rural Uganda, showed that group interpersonal psychotherapy substantially reduced the symptoms and prevalence of depression among 341 men (Bolton et al, 2003)

Intervention effectiveness in resource constrained settings In India a trial was conducted to test the effectiveness of an intervention led by lay health counselors in primary care settings The trial found that patients in the intervention group were more likely to have recovered at 6 months than patients in the control group, and therefore that an intervention by a trained lay counselor can lead to an improvement in recovery from depression (Patel et al, 2010).

For non specialist health care providers

For schools and community care provider Recognize depression. Accept and support people with depression Do not exclude them from education or work. Do not blame them. Depression is not laziness Encourage and involve people with depression in sports and social activities Encourage them to seek treatment

Reducing the burden of depression The global burden of depression poses a substantial public health challenge, at the social, economic as well and clinical level There are a number of well-defined and evidence-based strategies that can effectively address or combat this burden. The key interventions are treatment with generic antidepressant drugs and brief psychotherapy.

Reducing the burden of depression Effective community approaches to prevent depression focus on several actions surrounding the strengthening of protective factors and the reduction of risk factors. School-based programs targeting cognitive, problem- solving and social skills of children and adolescents Exercise programs for the elderly. Interventions for parents of children with conduct problems aimed at improving parental psychosocial well-being by information provision

Conclusion Depression is a mental disorder that is pervasive in the world and affects us all. Unlike many large-scale international problems, a solution for depression is at hand. Efficacious and cost-effective treatments are available to improve the health and the lives of the millions of people around the world suffering from depression. On an individual community, and national level, it is time to educate ourselves about depression and support those who are suffering from this mental disorder.

Thank you