Depression is a silent killer
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Thursday February 1, 2018 18:05
The organisation says depression is a silent killer and if one does not get necessary help as soon as possible, there may be fatal consequences.
According to one of BONMEH executives, Keamogetse Mothibedi, their workshops and campaigns against depression have revealed that there are a high number of people suffering from depression.
“Self diagnosing is not okay. Some people take depression lightly and you would hear a person saying that I am depressed. We advise people to seek professional help when they suspect that they might be suffering from this sickness,” she said.
Mothibedi pointed out that some of the symptoms of depression include isolation where a person would not want to associate with people at all, extreme weight gain or weight loss, reduction or increasing sexual interest among others. Also, a person may have feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness, angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters, loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports.
A depressed person is also likely to have sleep disturbances, insomnia or sleeping too much, tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort, reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain, anxiety, agitation or restlessness, slowed thinking, speaking or body movements, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame, trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things, frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide and others.
“According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) depression will be a world leading health problem in 2030. We have therefore as a mental health organisation decided to act now. We will be hosting a Walk Against Depression on Saturday, February 03 this year where we will be discussing signs and symptoms of depression. The event will be held at National Youth Centre at Gaborone West (known as Ko-ga MmaMasire) at 5:30am,” she said.
Walk Against Depression - Give Hope campaign will be held under a theme, ‘You Are Not Alone’.
“ Depression is a mental disorder that can be as a result of distinguished factors from genetics to life stressors. This Walk is done in Partnership with our brother organisation called Captive Eye (who will be bringing the awareness on linkages of drugs & Mental Illnesses) Lion' s Club - Phakalane and Samsung Brand Stores Botswana.”
According to WHO, depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, WHO estimates that more than 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression.
“Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. More women are affected by depression than men. At its worst, depression can lead to suicide. There are effective treatments for depression,” it noted.