The number of mental illness patients has been experiencing a steady – but significant – rise over the past few years, with specialists saying more and more patients suffering from depression are now being treated everyday.
Professionals working in the mental health sector said they have found that issues that commonly trigger psychological disorders include unemployment, addiction, family issues and relationship troubles.
“We see that the number of metal patients is increasing day by day as miscellaneous factors that cause mental health disorders are increasing in the society,” said Director of National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Md Waziul Alam Chowdhury.
“Depression has increased alarmingly among children and adults. It can be found everywhere, while all types of addictions have also increased,” said Waziul, who is also a professor of psychiatry.
His claims were reflected in the NIMH record book, which showed that the numbers saw a major spike last year following steady climbs in the years before.
Parvin Aktar, a record keeper of NIMH, said the patient numbers – most of them males – have been rising for the past three years.
In 2012, the NIMH outdoor service treated an average of 1,991 patients each month, while the indoor treated more than 152 people every month.
In 2013, the monthly average patient number at the NIMH outdoor grew slightly to become 2,082, while the indoor was treating around 178 patients each month.
However, the monthly average of patient numbers at the NIMH outdoor grew by almost 50% in 2014 to become 2,917; indoor patient numbers also increased to 192 each month.
According to the NIMH record books, the first two months of this year saw an average of 2,935 outdoor patients, and 149 indoor patients.
The number of people seeking treatment at Dhaka University’s Student Counselling and Guidance Centre is also on the rise. Since the start of this year, around 240 students have received counselling services at the centre.
Rashed Jaman Shovon, the centre’s administrative official, said: “Stress and depression have been increasing [among patients] as many students come everyday for counselling.”
Most of the service takers come to the centre to seek advise on family issues and relationship problems, while some come with study-related or other issues, Shovon added.
Dr Afroza Hossain, associate professor at Dhaka University’s psychology department, told the Dhaka Tribune that depression is often caused by unsafe social environment, insecurity in workplaces for women, family issues etc.
Asked about the factors behind the rise of depression, NIMH Director Waziul mentioned that stress caused by social and political issues, unemployment, narcotics addiction and personal issues are some of the most frequent causes behind the ailment.
“Massive social awareness can help reduce depression among people,” Waziul pointed out.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 350 million people across the world suffer from depression, which is characterised by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness, and poor concentration.
At its worst, depression can lead to suicide. An estimated 1 million people commit suicide every year, according to the WHO.
