Conditions

Depression is a disease that can affect up to ten per cent of the population at any time and which causes untold suffering for victims and their loved ones.

Great attention therefore needs to be paid to the growing needs of populations in the area of mental health. Neuropsychiatric conditions are among the leading causes of disability and burden. Psychiatric disorders are frequently a considerable drain on health resources as a consequence of being misunderstood, misdiagnosed or improperly treated.

The enormity of reducing the burden associated with mental illness is being tackled in three ways: developing drug treatments, the provision of psychological support and psychosocial rehabilitation.

People with a mental illness can experience problems in the way they think, feel or behave. This can significantly affect their relationships, their work, and their quality of life. Having a mental illness is difficult not only for the person concerned, but also for their family and their friends.

Correspondingly, there are many different types of treatment available. These may vary from one-to-one counselling and medicinal therapies, to other therapies such as electro-convulsive therapy.