Depression is major cause of consultation in Latin America

Depression is the leading cause of psychiatric consultation in Latin America, is what revealed the Regional Congress of Psychiatry held in Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic. According to the statistics presented by the expert Olga Casado Blancas, personal circumstances like marital status also influence depression, 63% of depressed are married; 20.4% are separated; 8.3% are single; and 7.4% are widowed.

This total, 34.6% have family members who suffer the same condition. The expert also said that depression in women in the menopausal stage can be caused by several factors, such as financial issues, low education, obesity, chronic diseases, history of depression and alcohol consumption.

Statistics also show that most people affected by depression are between 20 and 50 years old, but there are already records in younger people. The psychiatrist Rhody Peña warned about the rise of the disease in children and adolescents, more frequently in women.

He explained that one of the most devastating effects of depression is "blunted affect", when the person loses the desire to be with family, work and study. However, Héctor Guerrero Heredia noted that symptoms of depression are not only emotional but also physical and cause pain. "It has multiple dimensions, caused by a drop in serotonin, such as change in sleep pattern and the psychomotor skills, excessive preoccupation with physical health, decreased concentration and lack of appetite", he said.

By Deise Cavignatto