KARACHI, Oct 26: The medical experts have emphasized the need of immediate treatment of depression — an alarming state of mind that leads the patient to commit suicide.

The world studies had rated depression as the fourth most common disease and apprehended it to become the second most common disease by the year 2020, the experts said.

They were addressing at a workshop on “Depression: Treatment through drugs and electro-convulsive therapy”, organized by the Karachi Psychiatrist Hospital.

Noted psychiatrist Dr Syed Mubin Akhtar said that there was no exception, as any person could become a victim of depression. He said that with the increase in the intensity of depression, a person could start planning to bring an end to his life.

Citing the symptoms of depression, he said that the patient plunged into the state of despondency at least for two weeks, during which he could not feel any appetite neither take sound sleep. He said that sad feelings, fatigue, crying, lost of appetite and increasing sensitivity were some major symptoms of depression. Besides, all plans of such patient were aimed at committing suicide despite being afraid of death. Being mentally depressed, such patients could lose attraction in life and daily work, he added.

Dr Mubin said that 17 people out of every 100 used to feel depression of varying degrees, which often developed owing to certain chemical changes in brain. Depression could also begin with a grief or shock, he added.

In his address, Dr Ameen Gadit said that economic disparity and social conditions led to developing state of depression that was increasing at alarming level throughout the world.

Dr Iqbal Afridi of Jinnah Medical Centre said that general practitioners even did not diagnose such patients properly with the result that this ailment kept on intensifying unnoticed.

In the key-note speech, Dr M.I. Siddiqui said that Electro- convulsive Therapy (ECT) had been proved to be the best treatment of depression and other mental ailments. He said that the ECT was inexpensive, efficient and less painful treatment.

Dr Najmi Chughtai, Zaiba Anjum and Sallahuddin also spoke.—PPI/APP