July 01, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 26, 1429

HYDERABAD, June 30: Demanding at least one psychiatry unit in each district across the country, Dr Iqtidar Taufique laid emphasis on identifying depressive disorder as it was the root cause of many health problems.Speaking at a seminar organized by Sir Cowasji Institute of Psychiatric Diseases in collaboration with a pharmaceutical company on Monday, he said incidences of mental disorder were increasing rapidly.

Differentiating depression and depressive disorder, he said, the former is a gloomy state of mind, while the later, an illness. Depression, if left untreated, causes behavioural changes which in turn gives rise to different kinds of psychological disorders among patients.He sounded caution over the rising number of patients afflicted with mental illness and advised to treat them in initial stage to avert future complications.

Dr Taufique urged the masses and health managers to create awareness and timely intervention to abort depression from becoming second major ailment around the world, as not only in Pakistan, but elsewhere this problem was magnifying with a greater speed.

If depression remained unchecked and untreated, patients don’t even hesitate in taking their lives, he further declared. He said fewer numbers of psychiatrists and lack of knowledge among medical graduates was another quandary in the way to care and cure.

Dr Darya Khan Laghari, another psychiatrist said Pakistan stands 15 among states where people suffering from different types of mental, mood and depressive disorders could be brought back to normality through proper attention and treatment.

Neuro-transmeter abnormality was the most important cause for such a condition which can be reversed through medication, he said, adding attention was required to address socio-economic problems, environment and family-related problems.

Lack of knowledge pushes many patients to the doors of faith-healers while few tag it to a patient’s past erratic behaviour, he said.

Dr Leghari called upon the consultants to explain such afflictions in simple words along with passing on basic health-related issues in informative tenor to make them understand and adopt preventive steps.

Persistent depression, he informed, had emerged as one of the risk factors for stroke, heart attack/failure and arterial aneurysm, and a source of chronic renal failure.

Sir C.J. Institute’s, Dr Abdul Hameed Memon and others also spoke on the occasion. The seminar was attended by a large number of doctors, nurses and medical students.—APP