Washington DC-Depression affects more people than any other mental disorder and is also one of the world's leading causes of disability. Although it is a treatable disease, six out of every ten people who have depression in Latin America and the Caribbean do not seek or do not receive the treatment they need.
On World Mental Health Day, which is held annually on October 10, the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) joins with the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) to increase awareness about this disorder that affects more than 350 million people of all ages around the world.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, depression affects five per cent of the adult population. "This is a disorder that can strike anyone at some point in their life, and for which they need to receive psychological and social care and support," according to the PAHO/WHO principal adviser on Mental Health, Jorge Rodriguez.
In addition to influencing the ill person, depression also affects their family and community around them. In the worst cases, it can lead to suicide. Each year, almost 1 million people kill themselves in the world, of which around 63,000 are in the Americas. "In human terms, it represents suffering and in economic terms it involves considerable costs to families and to governments," said Rodriguez.
"Depression: A Global Crisis" is the theme chosen for this year, to advocate for recognising the disease and addressing it. Because of the stigma suffered by people with depression, many sufferers hide it or do not talk about it and even avoid treatment. WHO prepared a campaign that includes pamphlets and a video on "the black dog of depression," to call attention to this public health problem. Between 60 per cent and 65 per cent of ill people do not receive care.
The lack of appropriate services; of trained health professionals, especially in primary care; and the social stigma associated with mental disorders are some of the barriers to access to appropriate care, in addition to the need for boosting capacity for the identification and early treatment of depression. In the region, it is calculated that less than two per cent of the health budget is allocated to mental health, and of this, 67 per cent is spent on mental hospitals.
Depression is more common in women than in men. Between two and four of every ten mothers in developing countries suffer from depression during pregnancy or after childbirth.
This disease has a good prognosis if it is treated in time and appropriately. Depression can be mild, moderate, or severe, and is caused by a complex interaction of social, psychological, and biological factors. However, "we must abandon the idea that all depression needs pharmaceutical treatment.
Mild and even some moderate cases can be resolved, basically, with social and family support, brief psychotherapy, or other types of psychosocial interventions that can be provided by primary health care physicians or by community organisations that provide support for people," explained Rodriguez.
Mental health and depression in numbers:
• It is calculated that 25 per cent of people suffer from one or more mental or behavioural disorders in their lifetime.
• Mental and neurological disorders account for 14 per cent of the global burden of disease in the world and 22 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• More than 350 million people of all ages suffer from depression in the world. In Latin America and the Caribbean, five per cent of the adult population suffers from it.
• From 60 per cent to 65 per cent of people who need care for depression in Latin America and the Caribbean do not receive it.
• Each year, around one million people die from suicide in the world, of which some 63,000 are in the Americas.
• Depression is the most common mental disorder in the world.
• Among mental disorders in Latin America and the Caribbean, depression is the most common (5 per cent), followed by anxiety disorder (3.4 per cent), dysthymia (1.7 per cent), obsessive-compulsive disorder (1.4per cent), panic disorder and non-affective psychoses (1 per cent each), and bipolar disorder (0.8 per cent), among others.
