DEPRESSION LETS TALK

WORLD HEALTH DAY 2017

The United Nations World Health Organization celebrates World Health

Awareness Day each year on April 7. This year, WHOs year-long focus is on
depression, which is touted to be one of the main reasons behind mental illnesses
across the world.
Thus the campaign for this year is- Depression: Lets Talk. This theme aims to
reach out and help people battling with the disorder.
According to WHOs latest estimates, between 2005-2015, there has been an 18
per cent increase in people dealing with depression, that is approximately 300
million people.

What is depression?

Depression is an illness characterized by persistent sadness and a loss of interest in

activities that one normally enjoys, accompanied by an inability to carry out daily
activities, for at least two weeks.
The overall goal of this one-year campaign is that more people with depression, in
all countries, seek and get help.

More specifically, it is aimed at creating a better informed general public on

depression, its causes and possible consequences, including suicide, and help
available for prevention and treatment; encouraging people with depression to seek
help; and facilitating family, friends, and colleagues of people living with
depression to provide support.

At the core of the campaign is the importance of talking about depression as a

vital component of recovery. The stigma surrounding mental illness, including
depression, remains a barrier to people seeking help throughout the world.

Talking about depression, whether with a family member, friend, or medical

professional, in larger groups, for example in schools, workplace and social
settings, or in the public domain, in the news media, blogs, or on social media
helps break down this stigma, ultimately leading to more people seeking help.

On 7th April, 2017, a quiz on the theme- Depression: Lets Talk, was organized
by the Community Medicine Department, at KPC Medical College, in association
with the West Bengal Chapter of I.A.P.S.M ( Indian Association of Preventive and
Social Medicine) , to commemorate World Health Day.

Dr. S.N. Ali, on behalf of the Department of Psychiatry, gave us, the students of
4th semester, a brief insight into the wrong notions and misconceptions prevalent
regarding depression. We were also enlightened about the importance of support
and human contact in tackling depression.

Juhi Neogi

5th Semester