On the 7th of April every year the world celebrates World Health Day, whereby this year the key focus is depression themed as let’s talk. Depression is one of those terms that one uses when they are feeling sad or miserable about life, where by these feelings fade in due time but if they persists over time it could be a sign of one being depressed.
Depression is a treatable condition however about 50% of the cases go untreated as most people still don’t understand it or the stigma associated with it. Kenya is ranked 6th by the World Health Organization in a report released early this year, about 1.9 m cases reported in 2016. Number of people with depression has increased by 18% since 2005. Depression cases are highest in Nigeria, followed by Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of Congo comes in 3rd in Africa. Globally about 300 million people are affected by depression.
Depression varies from person and can be as a result of one or more reasons such as loss of a loved one, life events, anger, physical conditions, anxiety, medication side effects, use of drugs, childhood experiences etc. Statistics indicate that more women are affected by depression than men, also higher in older people
Depression can be controlled through engaging in physical activities, storytelling in young children as it eliminates anxiety, counselling in cases of life events, acceptance of physical conditions and living positively.