The Depression Epidemic in Africa - Essay Sample

The video presents a village in a remote area of Uganda, with an informal settlement and underdeveloped center, the women are going about their daily chores with some having small-scale poultry farming for their livelihood. The environment paints a picture of poverty and women who are facing difficulty in coping with the lifestyle. The prevailing conditions of women in the video is a reflection face of depressed women undergoing psychological therapy. Although they live an impoverished livelihood full of frustrations, they get encouraged and continue living their usual lives in this small village (Strongminds, 2016).

The video addresses the level of disturbances of the mood and its prevalences among women caused by depression in Africa. Africa has the highest depression levels with most women between 32 years and above are the majorly affected by metal mood disturbances. The majority of women population in Africa suffer the wrath of depression but with few psychiatrists to offer them mental therapy. However, the women in the video have resorted to solving their problems of finding therapy through group discussions. It is found that in the absence of psychiatrists, the victims can hold a group discussion or may engage in a constructive activity to help them dispell the mental moods associated with them.

Additionally, there is the message of how the women address problems affecting them in the society as well as the lack of enough brains to offer the required therapy and psychological advice on how to deal with the problems of depression among women. The video addresses the issue of how the government is doing very little to build an urgent need to address the problems associated with public health through the help of psychiatrists. Inaccessibility to mental health care is a major problem in Africa with nearly zero psychiatrists per thousand depressed women in Uganda. The depressed mothers have children who may most likely suffer from diarrhea, malaria and other possible diseases due to lack of social services and medical facilities to deal with mental diseases. Therapy and depression treatment among African women deals with the mood disorder experienced as amused. The horrible paranoia is affecting women and knowledge of how the depressed individuals can have a brighter future CITATION TSe15 \l 1033 (Mayberry, 2015).

The story of depression in the video relates to Schneider text in that depression in women is prevalent in African countries with those affected being between ages 32 and above. The causes could be due to gender disparity, gender roles and other factors such as misunderstanding and overwork on the sides of women. Depression is accompanied by other unhealthy activities such as smoking, drug peddling among others with children being affected since the depressed mothers cannot take care of their children as required due to lack of psychiatrists and availability of social health centers. The stressful life events including relationships between spouses, relatives friends, low self-esteem, social, psychological and cultural disturbances might have been the causes of depression among women. Additionally, diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, hypertension may result in depression in women. Most of the depressed women are forced to find solace in drugs since they suffered several mental disorder. However, positive self-esteem cognitive therapy, psychotherapy are some of the possible ways to treat depression among the affected women.

Anxiety among older women is found to be characterized by depression. Studies reveal that women are most likely to suffer depression than male counterparts CITATION Sch14 \l 1033 (Schneider, 2014). Interpersonal relationships are the main causes of depression in women in Africa. For instance, the relationship that exists between spouses might be of negative interest causing the mental and mood disorder in women. Nonetheless, the availability of psychiatrists and social health facilities are the key solution to the problems of depression. Various individuals are affected differently by different mood disorder due to variation in psychological and biological setups of individuals. Among various women in Africa, there are the problems of depression could be possible as a result of bereavement, living lone lives, loss of spouse among others. Nonetheless, post-traumatic therapy offers a solution to the aged individuals who are depressed mostly, women.

Failure to acknowledge the effective treatment among depressed individuals constitute a major problem and leads to more depression effects on the older adults. Physical health deteriorates further as a result of failure to address depression among older women in Africa. Majority of women in Africa have the opportunity to get involved in a various discussion among themselves as this is viewed as one of the most effective was od dealing with depression. The depression hardest hits the middle and low-income countries at older ages. Therefore, this could be attributed to low income and many hungry mouths to feed. Majority of women have left the jobs of fending for the many family members who depend on them. Consequently, the pressure mounted on women by male counterparts following the cultural set-ups in most African countries. Cultural set-ups are favorable to men and the plight of women, therefore, rests on the patriarchy and the hard situations facing women thereby resulting in a high number of women suffering from depression (Guerra M 2015).

Having considered the African state of depression in women, the United States of American needs to consider establishing the social healthcare to help solve the depression cases in the older class. The need to incorporate social health services would be meaningful in solving the problems associated with the depression in women. For instance, the government should digest the idea of employing proportionate numbers of psychiatrists to match the ratio of older people suffering from depression. The establishment of training institutions and vocational institutions related to depression management should be enhanced by the United States to help in addressing the depression related cases among women and older individuals. To effectively address issues of depression in women and older people, the United States needs to create sanity by ensuring there is women empowerment, role delegations among the different gender with the aim of reducing the rates of mental disorder prevalences among women. Equal opportunities and equality need to be enhanced among different gender; economic empowerment is a key prerequisite to the reduction of depression and other mental disorders in women and older individuals within the United States.

The authorities in the United States should ensure that there are enough facilities for mental therapy and availability of enough sufficient psychiatrists who are well endowed with better knowledge of depression and how to address it. The higher population of women who are depressed should be encouraged to establish group discussion to talk all the things that affect them to relieve themselves from being depressed. Additionally, the psychologists and psychiatrists should be trained and employed to provide guidance and counseling to the depressed individuals within the United States of America.

In conclusion, depression has been found to cause various deaths to many people globally. However, counseling and psychiatric therapy enhance and reduce the effects and pains associated with depression in women at older ages. Because women are mostly depressed than the male counterparts, there is an urgent need to establish counseling centers and train enough personnel in the affected countries to help[ deal with depression in women at their advanced ages.

Reference

BIBLIOGRAPHY Guerra et al. (2015). A comparative Cross-Cultural Study of the Prevalence of Late-Life Depression in low and Middle-Income Countries. Journal of Affective Disorders, 190 doi: 10.1016/j.Jad, 362-368.

Mayberry, T. (2015, July 27). Solving the Depression Epidemic in Africa. Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rt7VQYwYhw

Schneider, B. (2014). Interpersonal Distress and Interpersonal problems Associated with Depression. Columbia: Columbia University Press.

StrongMinds: Treating Depression in Women at Scale in Africa. (2016, May 31). Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylc6D4Ghim8