Depression and Aging ? A Public Health Concern

Abstract

After World Mental Health Day was initiated by the World Federation for Mental Health in 1992 many countries adopted it as a means of promoting mental health. Every year a theme is chosen and educational materials are produced by WFMH for distribution. This year, the 20th anniversary, we have chosen DEPRESSION as the main theme. Depression can affect anyone and it is one of the most widespread illnesses, often co-existing with other serious illnesses. According to the World Health Organization, unipolar depressive disorders were ranked as the third leading cause of the global burden of disease in 2004 and will move into the first place by 2030. The 2012 Depression package is intended to provide information about depression as a treatable ill-ness, and to spread the message that recovery is possible and achievable. The information will be useful both in developed countries and in middle-to low-income countries that need basic information for their national and local publicity campaigns. Among the developed countries, the current economic downturn has resulted in increased unemployment, increased debts and increased insecurity result-ing also in an increasing incidence of depression among the population. For middle-to low-income countries, public education on mental health is often inadequate due to limited resources. We hope this material will be useful for mental health promotion in these countries. World Mental Health Day 2012 aims to encourage governments and civil society around the world to address depression as a widespread illness that affects individuals, their families and their peers, and to recognize that it is a treatable condition. People should be alert to the early signs of depressive disorder—it can affect anyone, from young people to seniors. It is now estimated that 350 million people globally are affected by depression, and this alarming figure is a wakeup call for us to address this global non-communicable disease.