The Friday Five – World Health Day 4/7
Follow and join the conversations with #Depression, #LetsTalk and #WHD2017.
According to the World Health Organization’s (@WHO) latest findings, depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. More than 300 million people are now living with depression, an increase of more than 18% between 2005 and 2015. Lack of support for people with mental disorders, coupled with a fear of stigma, prevent many from accessing the treatment they need to live healthy, productive lives. This week’s Friday Five celebrates World Health Day and focuses on WHO’s yearlong campaign, Depression: Let’s Talk.
Get Involved
Depression is a common mental disorder. Overcoming the stigma associated with it will lead to more people getting help. On World Health Day and throughout the rest of the year use WHO’s suggestions and campaign materials to spread the word. From posters, to handouts, to infographics and social media message samples, everything you need to support the cause is right at your fingertips.
#Depression; a common mental disorder that affects people of all ages, all walks of life, in all countries. #WHD2017 #Time2TalkMv #LetsTalk pic.twitter.com/oPF7xApbEo
— WHO Maldives (@WHOMaldives) April 5, 2017
Mood-Boosting Magnets Might Help Treat Depression
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 15 million adults—approximately 6.7 percent of the population—suffer from major depressive disorder in the United States. Newsweek’s (@newsweek) Tech and Science section reports on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), the process that has the ability to harness the power of magnetism to increase serotonin production and combat depression.
Seven Ways to Help Someone with Depression
For someone living with #depression, talking to a person they trust is often the first step towards treatment and recovery. #LetsTalk pic.twitter.com/AML8F54EiY
— WHO (@WHO) March 30, 2017
Black Dog of Depression
Writer and illustrator Matthew Johnstone (@matthewjtalks), in collaboration with WHO, produced two videos about depression. The videos use the Black Dog, a term popularized by Winston Churchill, to symbolize depression and offer advice on coming to terms with your “Black Dog” and teaching it to heel. Johnstone has written several books and also gives talks about mental health and wellbeing.
Treating Depression is guesswork. Psychiatrists are Beginning to Crack the Code.
There is no one size fits all treatment for people suffering from depression. Quite honestly, when doctors prescribe therapy or medication to patients they are simply guessing and hoping for the best outcome. According to Leanne Maree Williams, a professor at Stanford University, “It is currently complete primitive guesswork.” Thankfully there is hope. According to Vox (@voxdotcom), “These days, more (neuroscientists) are using the tools of big data science — like machine learning and other forms of artificial intelligence — to “look” at brain scans and find the nuanced patterns of activity that predict our behavior.” Using these techniques some of the guesswork is eliminated.
Brain scans and machine learning programs are paving the way for a breakthrough in research on depression: https://t.co/zf04aHwUdc
— Vox (@voxdotcom) April 5, 2017
ICYMI – Our other Friday Fives.
