Let's talk' to overcome depression

Thiruvananthapuram: The World Health Organisation  has announced ‘depression’ as its theme for 2017 with the slogan ‘Let’s talk.’  But would talking delay diagnosis and appropriate medical help was a question DC put to psychologists in the city. There are  messages which say something to this effect: “My door is open. Come over. It’s no good suffering in silence.” In a different context, clinical psychologist Allen Joshua had shared about the case of a patient with   obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),  who for 16 years was only given counselling.

However,  psychologists in the city say that the campaign ‘Let’s Talk’ is a great step. “It is very useful for overcoming the stigma. The campaign encouraged health seeking,” says clinical psychologist Shiju Joseph.  Talking is where the process of seeking medical help begins, and it should not be where it ends. He says that he has come across patients whose conditions worsened when they were denied  proper psychological health services. “They could even suggest remedial measures that have an adverse effect. Suppose, an OCD patient is asked to relax, it can worsen the problem. The courses which train these counsellors are not supervised. There are even those who have undergone crash courses which are just a few days’ long,” he says.

The state government had announced ‘Ashwa-sam’ project, in which depression clinics are to be started at 170 PHCs. However, these do not rely on psychologists or psychiatrists. Psychologists have been campaigning to ensure proper professional help through government services.   There is a need for a support system, and in the initial stages of depression, talking can help the person come back to life, according to clinical psychologist Aravind Thampi. “These are times when ‘nuclearisation’ is prevalent. The word ‘I’ gets repeated so often as we are becoming self-centred. So talking helps,” he says.