What one person may experience in their lives as a challenge the other might consider a walk in the park compared to what they are going through and wonder what the 'suffering' person is complaining about. Often you will hear people exclaim, " I am so depressed!" Some people say this really believing that having a bad day or an uncomfortable situation that negatively affects his or her emotions means that s/he is depressed. Sadly, depression is about more than just having a bad day or feeling weepy for a few hours. Depression can last for weeks, months and even years if the suffering person doesn't get help from the right people. The most encouraging news or information is that depression is treatable and there is light at the end of the dark tunnel.
This week, the world commemorated the 20th anniversary of World Mental Health Day. It was held under the theme, 'Depression: A Global Crisis.' According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), "Depression affects more than 350 million people of all ages, in all communities, and is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease. Although there are known effective treatments for depression, access to treatment is a problem in most countries and in some countries fewer than 10% of those who need it receive such treatment."
