Book Description

In the modern times one of the common mental disorder prevalent in general population is depression and is characterized by presence of disturbed sleep, loss of interest or pleasure, feeling of guilt, depressed mood, decreased appetite, poor concentration, lower levels of energy and lower self worth. These symptoms of depression are recurrent and can become chronic which causes substantial impairments and affects individual's ability to take care of responsibilities in his or her daily life. One of the worst complication of depression is suicide which is a tragic fatality and every year is associated with a loss of about 850 000 lives. As measured by YLDs one of the leading cause of disability worldwide is depression and in the year 2000, among the contributors to the global burden of disease (DALYs) it ranked 4th. It is projected to reach 2nd place of the ranking of DALYs calculated for all ages, both sexes by the year 2020. Today in the age category of 15-44 years for both sexes combined, depression is already the 2nd cause of DALYs. It affects the persons of all background, genders and ages. It is a disorder of the brain. Various factors like biochemical, psychological, environmental and genetical, play a vital role in the development of depression. Depression is much more common in women and usually starts between the ages of 15 and 30. Following birth of a baby, women can also get postpartum depression. There are talk therapy and antidepressants which are designated as an effective treatments for depression. By using both these mode of treatment, most people do their best. Worldwide it affects about 121 million people. It is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. In primary care it can be reliably diagnosed and treated. Those who are affected with depression, only less 25% have an access to effective treatments. Brief psychotherapy and antidepressant medications are effective in 60-80 % of those who are affected and these services can be delivered in primary care whereas only less than 25 % of these depressive patients receive these treatments in developing countries. Social stigma associated with mental disorders, lack of trained health providers and the lack of resources acts as an barrier to the effective treatment for depression. Various researchers had suggested that in the individuals between the age group of 15-44 years, depression is the second contributor to shorter lifespan (Bhowmik et al., 2012).