Depressed? Let ’s Talk

Depression causes persistent sadness, a loss of interest in activities that you normally enjoy and an inability to carry out daily activities. Credit: WHOBy Baher KamalROME, Apr 3 2017 (IPS)Just three weeks after celebrating the International Day of Happiness, the United Nations now asks you the following questions: do you feel like life is not worth living? Are you living with somebody with depression? Do you know someone who may be considering suicide? Not that the world body all of a sudden wants to spoil your happiness—it is just that depression affects people of all ages, from all walks of life, in all countries, and as many as over 300 million people worldwide, according to the latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO).“These new figures are a wake-up call for all countries to re-think their approaches to mental health and to treat it with the urgency that it deserves,” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a news release.Depression 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. At worst, WHO adds, depression can lead to suicide, now the second leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds.Credit: WHONo wonder then that the World Health Day on 7 April provides everybody –depressed or not– with a special opportunity to mobilise action around a specific health topic...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Featured Global Headlines Health IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse Regional Categories TerraViva United Nations Depression World Health Day World Health Organization (WHO) Source Type: news