World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April every year to mark the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948. Each year a theme is selected that highlights a priority area of public health. The Day provides an opportunity for individuals in every community to get involved in activities that can lead to better physical and mental health.
The theme of 2017 World Health Day campaign is depression.
Depression affects people of all ages, from all walks of life, in all countries. Depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. In fact, it affects 322 million people in the world and over 6 million people in Bangladesh. It causes mental anguish and impacts on people’s ability to carry out even the simplest everyday tasks, with sometimes devastating consequences for relationships with family and friends and the ability to earn a living. At worst, depression can lead to suicide, now the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year olds. Data from Global School-Based Student Health Survey (2014) shows that of 13-17 year old students in Bangladesh, 7% attempted suicide in the last 12 months while 8% made a suicide plan and 5% considered attempting it. The same report found that 5% of students from the same age group could not sleep because of being worried, 11% felt lonely most of times or always (12% boys, 9% girls) and 8% had no close friends.
Prevention, treatment, recovery
Depression can be effectively prevented and treated. A better understanding of what depression is, and how it can be prevented and treated, will help reduce the stigma associated with the condition, and lead to more people seeking help.Treatment usually involves either a talking therapy or antidepressant medication or a combination of these. The stigma and discrimination faced by persons with mental disorders prevents them from accessing the help they need. Depression: Let's talk - the theme of this year's World Health Day is an opportunity to end the silence and stigma surrounding depression, to encourage friends and family members to talk together about depression and their mental health, and in doing so enable loved ones to seek care. Overcoming the stigma often associated with depression will lead to more people getting help.