Global Predominance of Depression Essay

Depression plays a substantial role in contributing to the global burden of disease. This is because it has affected many people globally, with no regard to gender or age. Depression has become a global problem that is facing the healthcare systems today. Depression is an illness that causes psychological disability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 350 million people suffer from depression in the world today (WHO, 2008). Depression starts at a younger age, therefore affecting many people. Further, people who suffer from depression do not realize at an early stage, and this contributes to the increase in the number of people who suffer from the disorder. According to the WHO, depression is characterized by specific symptoms such as anxiety, loss of interest, low self-esteem, lack of or disturbed sleep, lack of appetite, and low concentration. These symptoms should act as the leading factors to people who might be having doubts that they could be suffering from the depressive disorder. Depression can be fatal especially if the conditions associated with the disease become chronic or lead to impairment and paralysis in undertaking day-to-day activities. This essay discusses depression, as an important topic that needs to be addressed in the world today.

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Depression that has been on a significant increase in the world today is attributed to high cost of living, stress, lack of family support or family breakdowns, and high pressure to deliver in work. Low, middle and high classes characterize the society today. Those in the high class have enough resources and therefore can access all products or services. Those in the middle classes, on the other hand, can access some of the products or services while those in the lower level have to struggle to access the services. With high standards of living, the price of products and services have been on the increase, and this does not favour those who do not have adequate resources to access the services. Depression is caused by the fact that those who earn low income do not afford the high cost of products. Stress is also a significant cause of depression. Increased levels of stress lead to depression and other associated effects. Family or social structures are paramount in ensuring that an individual is in the right state of mind. This is because family not only contribute to having a sense of belonging but also dealing with challenges. Further, when and an individual is under too much pressure to deliver, they tend to be depressed. This has occurred primarily in a workplace setting, where an individual has too much to deliver within a short period. With the technological advancements, many businesses have applied new ways of tracking and ranking employee performance, including the use of six model, and this makes employees' work under so much pressure. Those who are ranked low in performance tend to be depressed because their fellows outperform them (Chang et al., 2009).

Depression is prevalent because many suffer from the disorder without realizing it, and affects both the young and the old. Some people think that adolescents, because of their young age, do not undergo depression; however, specific factors may contribute to depression, such as denial to heed to peer pressure, self-esteem and self-identity. Adolescents, as they undergo various developmental changes, such as cognitive, physical or social development, are likely to suffer from the depressive disorder, especially if they feel that they cannot perform or look like their peers. Depression is on a constant increase because people who have suffered from the depressive disorder do not seek medical advice or attention. Further, there has been a challenge with lack of qualified personnel in many countries. In some nations, they have only one psychiatrist or none at all, fostering depression a threat in many countries. The professionals required for diagnosis and treatment of depression are few, and this mounts pressure on the health systems in offering treatment for those who suffer from the depressive disorder.

People tend to confuse between Anxiety and depression. However, the two have a close association, with anxiety being a leading and major cause of depression. Therefore, when an anxiety disorder already exists, then the chances of a recession are very high. Studies have shown that anxiety is common in the Western societies. According to a study conducted by Kendler (2013) on global prevalence and anxiety disorders showed that, approximately 10% of people in North America, Australia, and Western Europe have clinical anxiety, while those in the Middle East are about 8% and a recording of 6% for those in Asia. Anxiety, characterized by fear and nervousness, therefore contributes to depression. The nervous thoughts lead to the attention on the uncertainty of the present and the future. It further creates feelings of discomfort, which eventually lead to depression. This is attributed to the fact that people who suffer from anxiety disorder tend to think negatively and have the thoughts that something might negatively affect their lives.

Depression is fatal and contributes to high cases of deaths if not diagnosed and treated at an early stage. Global depression statistics indicate that 850,000 deaths every year are caused by depression worldwide. Further, studies have shown depression is more prevalent among women as compared to men across different cultures. A study conducted by Kendler (2014) showed that women are in the lead in cases of depression with a recording of 5.5 % as compared to 3.2% of men globally (Kendler, 2014). According to the WHO, while depression affects both male and female, it is more prevalent amongst females than males. Women tend to become depressed more than men for reasons such as pregnancy and childbirth do. Pregnancy is a time when a woman experiences major changes in hormones. During pregnancy, the body of a woman faces numerous changes that could make one fall into depression. For example, women tend to like slim bodies as dictated by the societal expectations. However, during pregnancy, women are most likely to experience physical changes on their bodies, and this can be stressful on whether they would have their slim bodies back after pregnancy. After childbirth, some women might get into post-partum depression, due to the experiences of delivery or the anxiety, fear, and mood swings. Further, women experience societal norms and expectations, despite the changes in gender roles and perceptions. Women are expected to perform in a particular manner, and this increases the chances for depression. This is because some women might have the need to perform better, but their roles are confined to bearing children and taking care of their husbands. Those who manage to acquire jobs might be depressed due to perceptions at the workplace, where they are not expected to lead or perform better than men.

Depression not only affect the health of individuals but also impacts on the social, political, and socio-economic factors. Depression imposes a burden on the economy ranging from the family, individuals with disorders and businesses or firms. Depression also leads to low education levels, because those who are depressed cannot concentrate on their studies. It further contributes to the poor economy due to lack of workforce in different institutions. Individuals who suffer from depression cannot be able to perform their duties as expected and therefore end up leaving their jobs. According to the Centres of Disease control in the United States, depression causes approximately 200 million lost workdays every year, costing employers about 17 billion yearly. Depression also contributes to poverty rates due to reduced participation in social or economic activities. People who suffer from chronic depression suffer from high poverty rates because they might not be able to work. In countries that do not have universal access to healthcare, patients spend their savings thus leading to poverty (Chang et al., 2009). The global burden of depression has affected not only the economic and social levels but also the health units.

Depression is treatable, and with the substantial increase in the cases of people suffering from the depressive disorder, health systems have come up with strategies in diagnosis and treatment of depression. Before treatment is administered, health professionals have to conduct a diagnostic evaluation of the victims to realize the level of depression and the possible causes. The treatment techniques for depression include the use of antidepressant medication and psychotherapy such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to make the victims regain from the disease that could cost their lives, especially when symptoms associated with it become chronic (Yapko, 2013). Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, is another way of dealing with mild depression. When people who suffer from depression talk about the issues that could be bothering them, it is easier to offer advice, and eases the burden of having to deal with the challenges by themselves. People who suffer from depression are advised to eat healthy, have enough sleep, avoid stress, and have regular exercise. They should also talk about their issues with family members or people that they trust, as this could help ease the burden. Antidepressant medication is a standard way of treating depression, where patients are given drugs with recommendations, with its use extending to at least six months depending on the improvement of the symptoms. When a patient uses antidepressant medicines but the changes are not witnessed, psychiatrists recommend the use of an alteration of the dose to add or substitute the previous medication.

Despite the fact that depression affects every individual, it has been associated with aspects of culture and ethnicity, which vary from one culture to the other. Depression falls into different categories in each culture, and some differences are shared regarding the manifestation of the diseases and its prevalence. Researchers have shown that the incidence of depression is common among the Black and Asian communities (BAME). A study conducted by Williams indicated that older people from British South Asian and the Black Caribbean recorded more cases of depression as compared to their counterparts in Europe. This is because such groups are less likely to be engaged in treatment or diagnosis of the depressive disorder. Depression and mental health are rated among the top ten healthy issues in Bhutan, Sri Lank, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. Studies have associated the high rates of suicide in South East Asia with depression. According to a study by WHO in Sri Lanka and Asia, a majority of people who attempt death was diagnosed with depression. The study showed that 50% of males and 50% of females who tried self-poisoning and suicide were suffering from depression. Also, in India, a survey of hospitalized patients with cases of first suicide attempt showed that a larger percentage of the patients were depressed and would trigger an attempt of second suicide (Ferrari et al., 2013).

Conclusion

It is worth noting that depression is not given the much attention it needs in the health units today, characterized by the employment of few professionals who can deal with cases to do with depression. However, it is evident that it is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world today and affects every individual. In this case, there should be efforts to eradicate the depressive disorder. Thus, the demand for the eradication of depression and mental conditions should be on the rise worldwide. Further, with a constant increase in the number of people suffering from the depressive disorder, health institutions should identify new approaches that would de...