The term global pandemic is used when there is a disease outbreak that has spread across all the nations of the earth. According to Google, a vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease.
When vaccines are taken, they either prevent the occurrence of disease or mitigate the symptoms if it does occur. Its administration triggers an immune response, resulting in the formation of an antigen-antibody complex, with the antigen being the injected material. The end result is that of you being immunized.
The existence or development of a vaccine is paramount in the fight against a pandemic as in the case of the coronavirus as well as diseases in general. It significantly reduces both the morbidity and mortality rates and also lessens the burden on health care workers because of fewer hospital admissions. This also has a positive effect on the economy as fewer sick leaves equal more productivity which equals economic growth.
But what do we do when a global pandemic currently has no vaccine and will likely never have one in the forthcoming future? This pandemic is called Clinical Depression.
Depression is a mood disorder that can either cause pervasive or persistent sadness. The sadness in depression is not responsive to environmental stimuli (can’t be cheered away) as in the case of the regular sadness. It makes
In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that about 264 million people worldwide suffer from this disease and that 800 thousand sufferers commit suicide yearly, with both still being on the rise.
Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it a faceless entity and can affect anyone. Even the most well-accomplished persons and those who seem the happiest in the public eye suffer from. In extreme forms, it can lead to suicide as in the shocking cases of the actor Robin Williams and the Swedish DJ Avicii; just to mention a few.
Although in recent times, more light is being thrown on the subject matter, it is still on the rise with a lot more left undiagnosed.
For there to be a drastic reduction in cases, the fight cannot be left to the health care professionals alone as a combined effort is required to save those suffering from it by getting them diagnosed and given the treatments that work best for them, enabling them to live their once normal lives.
This combined effort comes from YOU and I
Our part to play
Recognize the tell-tale signs
A clinical diagnosis of depression is made with the finding of 3 major signs that have lasted for at least 2 weeks. They are low mood, low energy, and anhedonia ( loss of interest in once pleasurable activities).
It can be mild, moderate, or severe. The low mood varies daily.
The presence of any 2 of the signs in addition to any of the following is classified as mild or moderate depression depending on the physician’s insight.
The adjuncts include; anxiety, insomnia, difficulty in concentrating, difficulty in getting out of bed especially in the mornings, crying spells followed by brief moments of happiness, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, or even symptoms that just can’t be explained.
A person is said to have severe depression in the presence of any 2 tell-tale signs plus suicidal ideations.
The crucial thing here is all these things can only be observed by persons close to the affected such as family and friends. But in many cases are not, as even primary care physicians sometimes fail to see these in their patients they’ve been in consultations with for years.
Secondly, a contributory factor that can tip the scale towards depression or emotional uplift that is not talked about well enough is our attitude.
Let’s not go out of our way to make people feel insulted or uncomfortable by any means in which we choose to communicate.
A lot of persons may just be at that dangerous cliff where they only require a little nudge for things to end in devastation.
If we can’t have discourse free from destructive criticism, let’s not converse at all.
In light of this, let’s try to do more by being more observant, paying close attention to persons who just went through a traumatic event, not letting conversations with friends or acquaintances end with the saying ‘I am fine when that is obviously not the case, being generous with our words, in our thoughts and actions as they might just save a life.
Lastly, let’s not be shy to talk about mental health.
By achieving all these, we can hope to be a step closer to reducing the slain casualties of this oppressor called Depression