Depression Is More than a Stigma

Manoj K. Pandey is Lecturer in Economics, Australian National University; Vani S. Kulkarni is Lecturer in Sociology, University of Pennsylvania; and Raghav Gaiha is (Hon. ) Professorial Research Fellow, Global Development Institute, University of ManchesterBy Manoj K. Pandey, Vani S. Kulkarni and Raghav GaihaCanberra, Philadelphia and Manchester, Mar 20 2019 (IPS) Depression is often distinguished from other non-communicable diseases or NCDs (e.g., cancer, diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases, hypertension) because of the stigma attached to it. Among other consequences, those suffering from depression are often denied access to medical care. Indeed, the latter is an outcome of interaction between supply of and demand for medical care. On the provider side, stigmatizing attitudes by service providers are identified as a barrier to access. On the demand side, stigma and low mental health literacy by community members are just as emphatically reported as barriers to accessing care. Manoj K. PandeyBut there are striking similarities between depression and other NCDs too. There are strong inter-relationships between them (eg, between depression and cancer, depression and diabetes, depression and strokes). Many NCDs share common risk factors such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diets that are associated with cardio-vascular diseases (CVDs), diabetes, and cancer. The South African adult population has high levels of these risk factors, and large proportions of the...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Featured Global Headlines Health Human Rights TerraViva United Nations Women's Health Source Type: news