#JamesDonaldson On #MentalHealth – Experts Say Depressed People At Greater Risk Of #Suicide

By Bureau report

PESHAWAR: #Mentalhealthexperts said Saturday those suffering from #depression are at a 25-time greater risk of committing #suicide than the general population.

They were speaking on the first day of the two-day training workshop on #suicideprevention arranged at the Ibadat Hospital.

Horizon, a non-governmental organisation, Pakistan Psychiatric Research Centre, Fountain House Lahore, and the #WorldPsychiatricAssociation Section on Psychiatry in developing countries joined hands to arrange the training.

#Psychiatrists, clinical #psychologists, academicians, #students and civil society activists attended the programme.

Prof Dr Wajid Ali Akhunzada was the chief guest.

The speakers included Prof Dr Nazish Imran, head of the Department of Child and Family Psychiatry at King Edward Medical University and Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Prof Dr Imran Ijaz Haider from Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore, Dr Ali Ahsan Mufti, Associate Professor at the Jinnah Medical College, Peshawar and Executive Director of Horizon, Prof Dr Khalid Mufti, Dr Assad Khan and Mumlikat Zahir, a clinical #psychologist with a speciality in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

Dr Ali Ahsan welcomed the participants. “We should take #mentalhealth seriously for our emotional and psychological well-being,” he said while welcoming the participants.

The speaker said people who are emotionally healthy are able to handle life’s challenges well, build strong relationships and lead productive, fulfilling lives. “When bad things happen to them, they are able to bounce back and move on,” added the host.

In his session, he talked of the physical effects of excessive #stress such as headache, rash, breathlessness, panic attacks, aching joints, nausea, stomach pain, muscle cramps, sleep and eating issues while the emotional effects are nervousness, #anxiety, anger, tension, fear, feeling worthless and the most important is #depression. Dr Ali Ahsan Mufti mentioned the breakdown of family relationships, bereavement, changes in friendship, #abuse, #bullying, experiencing or witnessing violence and, of late, #socialmedia posts as some of the causes of excessive #stress. He said excessive #stress can lead to #depression, #eatingdisorders, #self-harm, severe #anxiety and even #suicide.

#James Donaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle

Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book,
#CelebratingYourGiftofLife:
From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy

www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com

Prof Dr Nazish Imran took up myths and misconceptions about #mentalhealth and #suicide.

She called for exploring the differences between the myths and realities of #mentalillness, understanding the #stigma surrounding #mentalillness, its impact on help-seekers and the role that #healthcareprofessionals can play in the prevention of #self-harm and #suicide.

The expert touched on #suicidalbehaviors, #suicide, such attempts, related ideation, non-suicidal #self-injury, deliberate #self-harm, #suicide survivors, postvention and psychological autopsy.

Dr Nazish Imran said there are 10-25 #suicideattempts for every #suicide. Quoting from a study, she said a total of 2295 #suicide cases were taken up for the study, of them 1420 were #males (61.87per cent), and 875 were #females (38.12 per cent).

The expert said most #suicides occurred under age 30 (71.2 per cent) while 87.33 percent of subjects were married. She cited domestic conflicts, #financial reasons or poverty, failure in love or marriage as the main reasons.

Dr Nazish Imran said people with #suicidalideation usually loses all hopes and see no other option. “Any act of #self-harm needs to be taken seriously as it is mostly a cry for help by people in distress,” added the expert.

Prof Dr Imran Ijaz Haider called for understanding and identifying types of effective communication to tackle #mentalhealthchallenges.

“A #mentalhealth practitioner should be friendly, attentive, non-judgmental and involve the person in distress to speak up and by offering empathy,” he said while urging that an environment should be created to facilitate open communication with the #patients.

He talked of types of effective communication both verbal and non-verbal and laid #stress on body language, eye contact, hand gestures, privacy and confidentiality as all this wins the trust of the #patient. Mumlikat Zahir talked about the assessment of #depression and its relationship with #suicide psychological measurement.

The speaker said the lifetime risk of #suicide among people with untreated #depression ranges from 2.2 – 15 per cent. “#Depression is present in at least 50 per cent of all #suicides. Those suffering from #depression are at a 25-times greater risk for #suicide than others,” she added.

The speaker said persistent depressed mood and markedly diminished interest in activities for at least two weeks were among the core symptoms of #depression.

Of the additional symptoms, she mentioned disturbed sleep or sleeping too much, significant change in appetite or weight (decrease or increase), the belief of worthlessness, excessive guilt, fatigue or loss of energy, reduced concentration, indecisiveness, talking or moving slower than usual, helplessness, #suicidalthoughts or acts

She said a person is likely to have #suicidalthoughts if he or she is in #depression, feeling low mood, worthlessness, #hopelessness, has a lack of interest in daily activities and is in self-#isolation.