The British global medical journal The Lancet has published a special issue calling for the unity of the world to reduce the social burden of depression.Professor Toshiaki Furukawa of the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, together with 11 experts from 25 countries around the world, put together the declaration of the World Psychiatric Association of Lancet.
According to the University of Kyoto, the Lancet World Psychiatric Association Committee says that the world is facing an increasing social burden due to depression, but has not been able to adequately deal with it. The Declaration calls for patients and their families to work together to improve care and prevention, close knowledge gaps, and overcome the challenges of depression, such as increasing awareness.
Depression is estimated to affect about 5% of adults worldwide, with increasing incidence, especially among young people.However, this situation is still neglected by society, and lack of understanding of depression is affecting the economic prosperity of each country.
Despite many things that can be done to prevent and help recover from depression, about half of people suffering from depression in high-income countries are not diagnosed or treated, and in low- and middle-income countries The ratio is believed to reach 80-90%.
Moreover, the spread of the new coronavirus has caused further problems such as social isolation, bereavement, and limited access to medical care, and has caused serious damage to the hearts of even more people.
Paper information:[Lancet] Time for united action on depression: a Lancet–World Psychiatric Association Commission
