According to the Ministry of Health statistics, approximately 9 million people a year consult a doctor due to mental and neurological diseases. Both these applications and the use of antidepressants are increasing every year. Antidepressant use has increased by 27% in the last 5 years. Some of the increase in antidepressant use may be due to the use of drugs through hearsay, which can be called self-treatment, and some may be related to the increase in awareness and applications about psychological diseases.
Depression is still the most common, with a frequency of 10% in the general population. is among the diseases. The lifetime risk of getting sick is 10% for men (one in every 10 men), and 20-25% for women (one in every 4-5 women). In all societies, depression is twice as common in men. It is more common in women between the ages of 18-44, especially after the age of 25. The gender gap gradually decreases between the ages of 45 and 65. After the age of 65, the odds increase again against women. The prevalence of depression in children is 3-5%. The incidence in adolescents varies between 15-20%. Childhood abuse leads to depression.
Deaths due to suicide are the 3rd most common cause of death between the ages of 15-35. We know that deaths due to suicide have increased by 60 percent in the world in the last 45 years. More than 1 million people die by suicide every year, and 70 percent of those who die by suicide are known to have depression. 15 percent of people with depression die by suicide. These figures are the most important evidence that depression is a serious health problem that needs to be treated.
Major depression causes the general health of the person to deteriorate and reduces the quality of life. In addition, it negatively affects the course and response to treatment of any other accompanying chronic diseases (such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, neurological diseases). Depression causes severe financial consequences, such as loss of workforce and productivity, and increased healthcare expenses. Deterioration of family communication and deterioration of academic success are among the frequently encountered social problems in depression.
Depression affects the emotional, cognitive (intellectual), behavioral and physical areas of the person. It also affects the patient's family and other social life. social skill their values are decreasing. Interpersonal relationships are disrupted. In the psychological field, personal satisfaction, ability to perform with self-confidence, sense of self-efficacy, initiative and autonomy also decrease. In the field of behavior, slowness, introversion, stagnation, and sometimes unnecessary anxiety and restlessness crises are added. In addition, depression affects a person's mental activities, affecting his attention, memory, and learning abilities. Thus, those with mental problems cannot be successful in their professional lives and may experience loss of performance.
Risk factors for depression: Early parental loss, substance and alcohol abuse, anxiety disorders, being a woman, low socioeconomic level, living separately, being divorced, unemployment, previous depression Recent important life events, stress factors, personality structure, sexual or physical abuse during childhood, some medications, medical diseases, hormonal changes are the main factors that increase the risk of depression
Antidepressant use:
In our society, there are beliefs that antidepressants are addictive or numbing, and misinformation on the internet or social media. We can see that patients with severe depression, who are affected by these explanations that have no scientific basis and who really need to use antidepressants, sometimes hesitate, avoid consulting a psychiatrist, and resort to methods such as using alcohol and substances to relieve depression. Hospital admissions are more common between the ages of 40 and 60. A significant portion of depression patients do not go to treatment. Even in the most developed countries, the rate of depression seeking medical help is not 100 percent. It is estimated that this rate is around 20-30 percent in our country.
Treated depression can recur. Especially;
The presence of residual symptoms when depression is treated, the person having previously had depression, chronic depression, a family history of mood disorders, co-occurrence of conditions such as anxiety and substance use with depression, and the onset of depression over the age of 60 are considered for recurrent depression. carries a greater risk.
On the occasion of 10 OCTOBER World Mental Health Day, a healthy society and healthy I would like to point out that a well-rounded generation is only possible by addressing mental and physical health holistically and together. This year's theme of World Mental Health Day, which has been celebrated since 1992 in order to emphasize the importance of mental health and raise social awareness on this issue, is "Young people and the protection of mental health in a changing world".
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