The 20th Annual World Mental Health Day was marked yesterday (October 10), under the theme, ‘The Great Push: Investing in Mental Health’ to address the unmet need for awareness and understanding of common mental health disorders, like depression.

The World Mental Health Day aimed to encourage communities to elevate understanding of the impact of mental health disorders, in order to support prevention, eradicate stigma, and ensure the proper management and protection of patients worldwide.

Depression is a common mental health disorder, affecting around 121 million people worldwide, and has become a major health concern in the region.

In 2001, the World Health Organisation indentified depression as the fourth leading cause of disability and premature death in the world. It is projected that depression will become the leading cause of burden of disease by 2030.

As an example demonstrating the regional burden of depression, a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry highlighted a large gap in the Middle East region between the number of people needing and the ones actually receiving treatment for depression.

Furthermore, the WHO notes more than 75 percent of people with depression in developing countries are inadequately treated, with mental health as one of the most neglected, yet essential, development issues in achieving the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.

Dr Yousef Abu Al Laban, consultant psychiatrist and medical director of the American Center for Neurology and Psychiatry, Abu Dhabi said: “Investing in mental health is critical. Lack of overall disease awareness and stigma associated  with depression are major barriers preventing patients from receiving proper diagnosis and treatment – which often means those suffering from depression do so in silence.

Furthermore, patients receiving treatment also may not be taking their medicine according to physician instructions, or at all, making compliance an issue as well.

According to Dr Al Laban, the impact of major depressive disorders on individuals and their families is substantial. A major US study noted that more than 50 percent of individuals suffering from depression tested had disease symptoms categorised as severe or very severe and were associated with substantial impairment.

Considering guidelines, along with tracking treatment maintenance and quality of life while on treatment, will help patients and doctors work together to ensure patients can live life to the fullest on treatment.

“World Mental Health Day provides us with an opportunity to open up dialogue with patients, physicians and the community to help support the environment in which patients reach recovery. This dialogue helps to improve the way that patients are treated, both pharmacologically and psychologically,” said Dr Al Laban.

“As doctors, we need to build the use of guidelines into our daily practices and increase a more common understanding of disorders amongst psychiatrists and other healthcare professionals in the UAE – particularly in this case, Major Depressive Disorder – to ensure optimal treatment outcomes for patients in need. As members of the community, we need to understand the high prevalence of these disorders, and support patients around us on their way to recovery,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service