Qatar News Agency/Kuala Lumpur

Many famous personalities like former United States presidents Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt have experienced depression. While some like musician Beethoven, writers Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain as well as painter Vincent van Gogh have gone through episodes of it.
According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) survey, clinical depression is ranked fourth in the list of malfunction disorders and is expected to rise to the second spot by the year 2020.
Apart from the various symptoms associated with the disorder, most common is the glumness experienced by the victim over a long period of time. This can be in the form of loss of interest or the will to live and anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure from activities previously found enjoyable).
Among other symptoms include a drastic change in the body weight and appetite, feeling of loneliness, hopelessness and guilt, sleep disturbances, easily slighted, panic, tiredness, lack of focus and low self-esteem.
Depression can also manifest in the form of back pain, headache, gastritis and other chronic problems.
Malaysian Psychiatric Association president Dr Abdul Kadir Abu Bakar says depression is different from sadness. “The diagnosis for depression is that there should be five or more related symptoms for at least two weeks, so severe that it affects social and work performance.”
It can become chronic, to the extent that it can become suicidal.
“However, most cases of depression can be treated using medication and psychotherapy,” Dr Abdul Kadir says.
Experts agree that if someone is bent on committing suicide, three situations have developed in the person. These are intolerance – can no longer sustain the burden, inescapable – can no longer run away from the problem and indeterminable – can no longer face the problem.
A WHO study reveals that the main reason behind people committing suicide is depression. In Asia-Pacific alone, the number of people who died due to committing suicide was more than the number of people who died after contracting tuberculosis.
Experts have warned that the number of suicide cases is expected to rise if the society refuses to accept that the issue is related to socio-economic factors which can lead to psychiatric repercussions.
Studies have also shown that some 5 to 10% of the society suffers from depression and needs psychosocial or psychiatric help.
However, in comparison to men, women are at higher risk of facing an episode of depression at least once in a lifetime on the probability of one: two. Experts believe that this is due to women shouldering various burden, including the duties of a housewife and mother, apart from her professional career.
Studies have also shown that a person is susceptible to depression at the age when he or she is most productive (45 years) as compared to those who are older.