february
NEWSPAPER
Why Experts Are Calling Depression a Global
Health Crisis Right Now
It’s a global crisis
The experts on the commission stressed
that to lower rates of depression, we need
society-wide strategies that reduce
exposure to adverse experiences (like
neglect and trauma) beginning in
childhood.
Recommendations also include focusing
on lifestyle factors such as smoking and
alcohol use, and risk factors like domestic
violence, financial problems, or losing a
loved one.
mental health
“It is crucial that we put into
practice,evidence-based,interventions that
support parenting, reduce violence in the
family, and bullying at school, as well
[as] promoting mental health at work and
addressing loneliness in older adults,” co-
author Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar said in a
statement.
The commission authors said the current
system, which classifies people into two
categories — either you have clinical
depression or do not — is too simplistic.
2022
They explained that depression is a
complex condition with different signs,
symptoms, severity levels, and duration.
“No two individuals share the exact life
story and constitution, which ultimately
leads to a unique experience of
depression and different needs for help,
support, and treatment,” Commission Co-
Chair Professor Vikram Patel from
Harvard Medical School said in the
statement.
february NEWSPAPER 2022
mental health

Depression is not the same as being unhappy

“Depression, on the other hand, is a serious mental

health disorder that interferes with your daily
functioning by affecting how you think, feel, and act,”

A person may have

depression if they have
symptoms that last for longer
than 2 weeks. Symptoms of
depression can vary from
person to person, but include:

feelings of sadness, guilt, and

worthlessness

a loss of interest in activities

you once enjoyed

anxiety
Depression can impair your ability to
work and socialize irritability, especially in men

“What distinguishes MDD from
simply feeling unhappy or dissatisfied
is the presence of significant
impairment in one or more important
areas of functioning,” said Paul
Poulakos, MD, a board certified
psychiatrist in Greenwich Village,
New York.
He emphasized that there’s a
difference that to between
dissatisfaction with your boss or job
and persistent depressive symptoms
that affect your performance.
“Someone that is feeling unhappy may
still be able to get themselves to go to
a particular social event or complete
their work tasks effectively,” he said.
“Someone with clinical depression emotions that feel “out of
will often be unable to complete these control”
aspects of their daily lives with the
same effectiveness or to the same
standard.” Poulakos said depression difficulty falling sleeping,
can affect health in many ways, some
severe. “Depression has been
staying asleep, or sleeping
associated with increased incidence of too much
myocardial infarction (heart attacks)
and exacerbation of cardiovascular
disease,” he said. “Depression is thoughts of suicide
associated with elevated risk of stroke
and hypertension (high blood
pressure).”
february
Depression was a leading
cause of disability even
before the pandemic
Espinola said that depression was a
widespread problem even before the
COVID-19 pandemic.
“In 2017, the World Health Organization
identified depression as the leading
cause of disability around the world,”
she said. “COVID worsened this
problem due to economic hardship,
social isolation, grief, uncertainty, and
lack of access of treatment.”
Poulakos pointed out that regulations
established to protect us from COVID-
19, like social distancing and limiting the
size of gatherings, have had a big impact.
“And in some cases have amplified the
incidence, duration, and severity of
depression,” he said.
Poulakos emphasized the importance of
destigmatizing mental health:
“Especially in the U.S., we have become
used to separating physical from mental
health.”
He said that this practice is “arguably
perpetuated by insurance companies”
that have relentlessly reimbursed less for
psychiatric care than other medical
conditions.
“Despite laws that have been established
making this illegal,” he added.Poulakos
said there must be more pressure placed
on insurance companies and more
resources put in place to ensure mental
health isn’t valued any less than physical
health.“We need to approach the crisis
with the fervor it warrants on all fronts,”
he said.
The new Commission offers
hope
“This article offers an impressive call to
action that outlines the steps that we
need to take to tackle the current global
mental health crisis,” said Espinola. “It
emphasizes the gravity of the problem by
highlight
NEWSPAPER 2022
mental health
A personalized approach to treatment is
needed
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to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages
and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for 'lorem ipsum' will
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highlighting the health, social, and
Overview
economic impacts of depression,” she
continued.
She said the authors “brilliantly” assert Depression is a mood disorder
the importance of addressing stigma, accompanied by emotional and physical
social determinants of health, trauma, symptoms that interfere with your daily
income inequality, gender inequities, and life. It’s estimated that 16 million U.S.
all forms of discrimination.“They offer adults experienced depression in the past
hope by bringing attention to multiple year alone.
cost-effective ways to prevent and treat Everyone experiences depression
depression,” said Espinola. “The message differently. Some people experience
is clear, we all can and should play a role significant increases in their depression
in ending the current global mental health symptoms at night. They may experience
crisis, and the time to act is now.” more symptoms, or their symptoms may
increase in severity. Nighttime depression
can also create or worsen insomnia, by
The bottom line keeping you awake longer or making it
The Lancet-World Psychiatric more difficult to fall asleep.
Association Commission on depression
states that depression is a global health Everyone experiences depression
crisis.The Commission outlined the steps differently. Some people experience
needed to confront this crisis, as experts significant increases in their depression
warn that mental health care that is symptoms at night. They may experience
significantly underfunded.Experts also more symptoms, or their symptoms may
say there are many effective treatment increase in severity. Nighttime depression
options, including antidepressant can also create or worsen insomnia, by
medications and behavioral therapy. keeping you awake longer or making it
more difficult to fall asleep.
february NEWSPAPER 2022
mental health

Perimenopause and Depression

What is perimenopausal Women with the greatest frequency of hot
flashes reported the most significant
● a lack of interest in once-enjoyable

depression? depressive symptoms. Other women at a

higher risk for depression include those
activities
● feelings of worthlessness,
Perimenopause is the transition that who:
hopelessness, or helplessness
females go through prior to menopause.It
causes abnormal menstrual periods, ● haven’t given birth
erratic fluctuations in hormone levels, ● have taken antidepressant Other symptoms related to
and insomnia. For many people, it also
medications perimenopausal depression may include:
causes unpleasant hot flashes.Several
studies have linked perimenopause to
depression, as well as worsening of
existing depressive symptoms.In a pair of Signs and symptoms of ● mood swings
● irritability
older studies from the early 2000s,
published in the Archives of General
perimenopausal ● crying for no reason or tearfulness
Psychiatry, researchers found that depression ● heightened anxiety
perimenopausal women were twice as
likely to be diagnosed with major ● profound despair
MDD is a serious condition that can be
depressive disorder (MDD) as those who ● sleep problems related to hot
managed with treatment. Whether
hadn’t yet entered this hormonal
experienced during perimenopause or at flashes or night sweats
transition.The studies also found that
any other point in your life, the symptoms
perimenopausal women were four times
of the disorder may include:fatigue and
as likely to develop depressive symptoms Some studies show that fluctuating levels
lack of energy
as women who hadn’t gone through of the female hormone estradiol are one
perimenopause. predictor of depression.
● slowed cognitive function
● inattentiveness

More People Want Mental Health Treatment,

But There Aren’t Enough Therapists

It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of
using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it
look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text,
and a search for 'lorem ipsum' will uncover many websites still in their infancy. Various versions have evolved over the years,
sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose (injected humour and the like).