Essay On Depression In The Philippines

Depression is a common mental disorder that can become chronic or recurrent and lead to an inability to perform everyday responsibilities. At its worst, depression can lead to suicide. Depressive disorders often start at a young age; they reduce people’s functioning. For these reasons, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide in terms of total years lost due to disability.1

According to DSM V Criteria, symptoms of depression include depressed mood or markedly diminished interest or pleasure, significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain or decrease or increase in appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue or loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt, diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, and recurrent suicidal ideation, or a suicide attempt. The symptoms are experienced most of the days, nearly every day, and have been present during the same 2-week period and

In 2012, it is estimated to affect 350 million people.1The WHO has ranked depression as the 4th leading cause of disability worldwide and projects that by 2020, it will be the second leading cause.9 In the Philippines, mental illness such as depression persists.10 The Year 2011 data from the WHO showed that the country has the highest incidence of depression in Southeast Asia with 93 suicides for every 100,000 Filipinos.11Moreover, suicide, a relevant associated event in depression, is another creeping problem in the Philippines.12 According to Department of Health’s National Center for Mental Health of the Philippines, the suicide rate in the country is 2.5 for men and 1.7 for women, per 100,000 population.10Depression, anxiety, and mood disorders were also found to be common mental health problems among