Depression is a common but critical mood disorder that presents severe symptoms that influence an individual’s thinking, how they feel, and handling of daily activities. The disorder causes an unrelenting feeling of sadness and cases of losing interest in activities that were previously enjoyable. Depression may also be referred to as major depressive disorder or clinical depression. The incidence of the illness may result in emotional and physical problems due to the effect of the disorder on the moods and behavior of an individual. The psychological concern is not merely a bout of blues after a difficult period and it is significantly difficult for the affected party to simply “snap-out” of it (Ferrari et al., 2013). The patient should receive significant attention from a therapist to help manage the disorder and prevent it from negatively affecting his or her life. There is a high incidence of major depression across the world. Approximately 300 million people across the world struggle with the mood disorder. According to estimates made by the World Health Organization, nearly half of this population is not receiving the required treatment for their condition. In some countries, the issue is far worse with nearly less than 10% receiving treatment from therapists (Ferrari et al., 2013). The research also shows that the occurrence of depression and other depressive disorders is extremely high 5% of women and 4% of men suffering from the condition. According to WHO, 26% of the global population living in the South East Asia Region accounts for nearly 39% of global suicides taking place. Suicide is a major consequence of untreated depression in both children and adults. India and China accounted for major areas where such incidences are likely to occur (Chen et al., 2013). In terms of the quality years of life lost due to disability or death these are the leading countries in depressive disorders.
These Asian countries are noted for their lack of awareness in depression and its negative outcomes in the society. Suicide and depression are severe inter-related public health concerns that affect the global population. As previously mentioned, these issues have been a major burden to the individuals in Asian countries. The WHO reports show that by 2020 depression will be most significant cause of disability in the global population (Ahmed et al., 2017). Suicide usually takes place due to lack of treatment of individuals struggling with depression and other related mental illnesses (Lim et al., 2017). Failure to receive treatment is associated with a number of factors including lack of appropriate treatment options or ill-equipped professionals and lack of understanding from the public or associated stigma of the issue. In China, mental illness is depicted as an effective means of punishment that the present generation suffers for the misdeeds of ancestors (Ahmed et al., 2017). In this way, it is seen as a major shame for multiple generations of the family. Even though modern societies in Asia do not promulgate the aspect of punishment for the ancestors, it is evident that individuals believe in the importance of a family name (Chang & Koh, 2012). There is an explicit culture of hefting the burdens of ancestors which intensifies the stigma on depression and other mental illnesses. The governments in multiple countries in Asia have undertaken the Strategies to Prevent Suicide (STOPS) project as an effective measure to alleviate the lack of awareness in the society (Ahmed et al., 2017). Countries including Japan, South Korea, China, and Singapore are all undertaken significant measures to raise public awareness and minimize the stigma associated with depression. It is important to note that countries such as India and Vietnam are not involved in the STOPS project a clear indicator that the public health issue could worsen in the near future (Chang & Koh, 2012).
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References
Ahmed, H. U., Hossain, M. D., Aftab, A., Soron, T. R., Alam, M. T., Chowdhury, M. W. A., & Uddin, A. (2017). Suicide and depression in the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region: a systematic review. WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health, 6 (1), 60-66.
Chang, W. C., & Koh, J. B. K. (2012). A measure of depression in a modern Asian community: Singapore. Depression Research and Treatment, 2012 . http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/691945
Chen, L., Wang, L., Qiu, X. H., Yang, X. X., Qiao, Z. X., Yang, Y. J., & Liang, Y. (2013). Depression among Chinese university students: prevalence and socio-demographic correlates. PloS one, 8 (3), e58379.
Ferrari, A. J., Charlson, F. J., Norman, R. E., Patten, S. B., Freedman, G., Murray, C. J., ... & Whiteford, H. A. (2013). Burden of depressive disorders by country, sex, age, and year: findings from the global burden of disease study 2010. PLoS medicine, 10 (11), e1001547.
Lim, S. W., Shiue, Y. L., Ho, C. H., Yu, S. C., Kao, P. H., Wang, J. J., & Kuo, J. R. (2017). Anxiety and depression in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury: a nationwide population-based cohort study. PloS one, 12 (1), e0169623.
