University Report: Anti-Depression Campaign in UAE - Public Health

This report provides a comprehensive overview of an anti-depression campaign in the UAE, beginning with an introduction to depression as a mental health disorder and its impact on individuals. It explores the symptoms of depression, including feelings of hopelessness, loss of interest, and physical ailments, and delves into the various risk factors associated with the condition, such as biochemistry, genetics, personality, and environmental factors. The report presents global and UAE-specific statistics on depression, highlighting the prevalence and impact of the disorder in the region. It identifies the target audience for the campaign and discusses relevant health promotion models. The report also proposes a campaign name, "Let us talk," and outlines specific steps and strategies to address depression, including awareness initiatives, support systems, and evaluation methods. Finally, the report concludes by emphasizing the importance of mental health awareness and the need for continued efforts to combat depression in the UAE.

Running head: ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1
ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................2
Symptoms of depression:.................................................................................................................3
Different risk factors that remain associated with depression:........................................................4
Statistics of depression worldwide:.................................................................................................5
Statistics of depression cases in UAE:.............................................................................................6
Target audience:...............................................................................................................................7
Health promotion models:...............................................................................................................9
Campaign name: “Let us talk”.......................................................................................................10
Steps:..............................................................................................................................................10
Strategies:......................................................................................................................................16
Evaluation:.....................................................................................................................................17
Conclusion:....................................................................................................................................18
References:....................................................................................................................................20

2
ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
Introduction:
Depression can be defined as a mental health disorder that affects how an individual
develops negative feeling about himself. It is a serious medical illness. It affects how an
individual thinks and how he acts in different strenuous situations. Depression is seen to cause
feelings of sadness where an individual also loses interests in the activities that he or she used to
enjoy before. Depression is often seen to lead to a number of emotional as well as physical
problems (Eldredge et al., 2016). These problems in turn reduce the capability of a person to
function properly both in professional and personal domains. These lead to the development of a
poor quality life. With the passing of days and life becoming more complicated in professional,
academic as well as personal fronts, chances of individuals being affected with depression is also
increasing. Often people are not being able to understand that they are affected by the symptoms
are depression. They consider themselves to be going through a period of sadness and isolate
themselves from their social lives. They are often now aware of the symptoms of depression for
which they can identify their present mental health condition. As a result, they tend to
procrastinate and cannot recognize the need to get mental health. Therefore, many individuals
are often seen to live a poor quality life without knowing that there are mental health
interventions that can cure them (Merkur, McDaid & Sassi, 2015). Therefore, it is important to
take initiatives to make people aware of the different symptoms of depression. They should be
also made to know how they could handle such symptoms by taking proper help from the
healthcare professionals, communities, family members and many others. In case of children and
young adults, it becomes very important for the parents and family members to identify the
symptoms and guide their wards in proper manners through specific interventions. This will help

3
ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
in making the communities aware of the symptoms and help them fight depression and lead
better quality lives.
Symptoms of depression:
There are large numbers of symptoms that often accompany individuals who suffer from
depression. Identification of these symptoms is extremely important for the individuals suffering
from depression or for those family members, friends and acquaintances who are spending time
with the depressed individuals. Identifying symptoms is the preliminary step, as proper
identification only will lead to the proceeding of individuals towards getting healthcare aids.
Constant feelings of hopelessness or pessimism are one symptom of depression. Such individuals
have persistent sad as well as anxious mood. Irritability is one another symptom that is also
noticed in depressed individuals. Many individuals who are supporting from depression also
develop feelings of guilt, helplessness as well as worthlessness. Individuals are also seen to lose
interests as well as pleasure in different hobbies and activities (Naidoo & Wills, 2016) . They
also show decreased energy and prolonged fatigue that they cannot overcome anyhow. Different
researchers conducted by researchers over the years have also noted that such patients talk or
move slowly in a restricted manner. They also feel restless and might face trouble sitting still.
Such restlessness should be identified to be one of the symptoms of depression. People who are
suffering from depression also face difficulty in concentrating, remembering as well as in
making decisions. They also face difficulty in sleeping. They cannot have early morning
awakening and oversleeping such individuals are also seen to undergo severe weight loss as well
as changes in weight. They also have different sorts of thoughts of death or suicide. They are
also seen to take attempts in suicide that affect their lives and lives of those members who are
attached with her mentally and emotionally. Various physical ailments that also accompany such

4
ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
individuals are aches and pains, cramps, digestive problems, headaches and many others without
a clear physical cause. Such physical disorders do not even cease with the treatments.
Different risk factors that remain associated with depression:
Researchers often note different types of factors that pay an important role in depression.
Biochemistry plays an important role in depression. Different types of traumatic life events can
trigger depression. Besides, poor diet, imbalances in blood sugar, different genetic conditions,
hormonal imbalance. Medical illness, drug and alcohol use, lack of exercises, medication and
digestive difficulties are some of the causes of depression. These triggers are mainly seen to
contribute to different types of neurotransmitter imbalances. Researchers are of the opinion that
biochemistry of the brain plays an important role in depressive disorders. Several studies have
revealed that individuals who suffer form massive depressive illness also exhibit dysregulation of
different types of brain chemicals like neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are different
chemicals that are significant as they carry different signals to brain and different nerves. When
the messages are not delivered properly, it can lead to depression s and other mental and physical
problems. In addition to this factor, genetics are also seen to play an important role as researchers
state that when depression is seen to run in the families, wards are also exposed to chances of
being affected by depression. A British research team is seen to develop a research article where
they had conducted a survey of many families with recurrent depression. The chromosome 3p25-
26 is seen to occur in more than 800 families who were diagnosed with recurrent depression
(Mak et al., 2015). Recent statistics state that 40% of the depression can be traced back to genetic
link whereas environmental factors and other factors make up for 60% of the depression cases.
Personality can also play an important role as risk factors for depression. Stress easily
overwhelms individuals who have low self-esteem. Pessimistic individuals appear to experience

5
ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
depression at higher rates than other individuals who are not pessimistic. Such individuals cannot
manage stress effectively. Many individuals are gradually able to overcome stressful events like
death of loved one, an illness, loss of jobs, when relationships spiraling downward and many
others. However, people with los self esteem and low self-confidences cannot overcome stress
allowing it to play an important role in depression. Stress again has its own physiological
consequences. It mainly causes triggering of the chain of chemical reactions and different types
of responses in the body. If the stress is seen to be short lived, the body usually comes back to
the normal function. When the stress becomes chronic, the system is stuck in overdrive, changes
in brain, and the body takes place (Bartels et al., 2015). This results in the individuals to suffer
from depression. Environmental factors are also the factors that play major role in occurrence of
depression. Different types of exposure may lead to the occurrence of depression in individuals.
This includes exposure to violence, abuse, neglect, poverty and many other situations. All the
factors are interconnected leading to depression in individuals.
Statistics of depression worldwide:
The studies conducted by World Health organization has found out that more than 300
million people are affected globally due to depression. In certain cases, depression in individuals
had also led to result in several cases of suicides. About 80,000 people are seen by WHO to die
due to suicide in every year. Suicide duet to depression had lead to second largest cause of death
in 15 to 29 years old in the different regions of the world. The proportion of the global
population who suffer from depression in the year 2015 is found to be about 4.4%. Moreover,
depression is also seen to be higher in case of women that accounts to about 5.1% in comparison
to males that is about 3.6%. Out of the 322 million people, half of the people are seen to be
present in the south east Asian region as well as in Western Pacific Region. Moreover, WHO has

6
ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
also stated that between the years of 2005 and 2015, the estimated number of people living with
depression has been seen to be increased by 18.4%. This reflects the overall growth of the
disease burden globally. About 9% of the depressed individuals are from the African region that
accounts for about 29.19% and 16% of the individuals are from eastern Mediterranean region
that account for about 52.98 million people. 12% of the depression cases are from European
region that account for about 40.27 million of people. 155 million people of 322 million people
are found to be present from region of the America that accounts for about 48.16 million people
from the 322 million people having the disease burden. Moreover, 27% of the cases are seen to
be noted in the region of south East Asia (Bartels et al., 2015). In this region, the total number of
cases of depression is seen to reach a number of 85.67 million people. 21% of depression cases
are noted to be in the western pacific region. Here the totals number of cases I seen to be around
66.21 million. Therefore, depression has indeed become the major contribution of diseases
burden globally, which had affected quality lives of millions of people.
21%
9%
16%12%
15%
27%
Cases of depressive disorder (millions)
Western Pacific Region
African Region
Eastern Mediterranean
Region
European Region
Region of the Americas
South-East Asia Region

7
ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
Figure: pie chart for prevalence of depression globally
Statistics of depression cases in UAE:
An article published by Gulf News Society in the month of February on 26th in the year
2018 had given data about the statistics of people suffering from depression. This article has
been published by the work of Dr. Tara Wyne who is a clinical psychologist as well as the
clinical director at Lighthouse Arabian in Dubai. This Dubai-based health expert has stated that
about 4 to 5% of the population of UAE has been suffering from depression. She is of the
opinion that mild depression is affecting around 15 percent of the population of UAE. She is of
the opinion that adjustment disorder as well as different issues with relationships is the most
commonly observed causes for depression in the regions of the UAE (Carolina D’Souza, 2018).
Moreover, there also remains a huge pressure on the adolescents and young adults to excel in life
and derive a better life in the future. The region is also stated to be fast paced where the focus of
the life mainly revolves around work and other achievements. Individuals face a large number of
challenges and transitions in their lives that creates stress in the individuals. Dr Tara Wyne are
also of the opinion that support systems and support mechanism are not present which could help
the individuals in such situations. There has been social stigma associated with the disorders and
therefore, individuals try to either hide their situations or try to keep the situation a secret. They
are often seen to feel lost and unsupported for which they can never get the opportunity to
overcome the disorders. Another article from the Gulf News Society states that currently
depression has been ranked as the fourth of the ten leading causes of the global Burden of
diseases. This has been noted from the comprehensive and global assessment on the count of
mortality and disability from amount diseases and injuries. Dr Talaat Mattar is a consultant
psychiatrist at the ministry and conference speaker. He had stated to Gulf News that especially

8
ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
clinical depression cases are mainly on the rise and therefore effective health promotion
campaigns for identification, awareness and support should be established. Dr Matter had clearly
stated that depression is the mental disorder that has the highest number of cases in UAE
(Report, 2018). This is then followed by the disorder of anxiety disorders and then by bipolar
disorders. The disorder that ranks fourth is schizophrenia according to him.
Target audience:
A leading daily of Abu Dhabi, called the National has published an interesting article on
the February in 2018. The paper had successfully identified the cohort who had been most
exposed to the symptoms of depression in the present generation. On the world Health Day,
doctors had been seen to advise parents on the different warning signs of depression as well as
anxiety in the young children and teen. They want the parents to learn about the different aspects
of depression that is faced by children, adolescents and the young adults. They should make sure
that they could help them with proper guidance and interventions about how to overcome the
different issues properly. The article had stated that the young people are increasingly reliant on
the social media and any other unvetted access to information online. This had resulted in
increased rates of depression and other mental health issues. World health organization had state
that UAE has been exhibiting the highest rank in the regional level of depression with 5.1
percent of population. The Emirates had also been ranking highest for anxiety in the tables
displayed by WHO with 4.1 percent of population admitting of the problem. Moreover, it was
also seen that in the year 2015, there were 444,016 cases of depression that was reported in the
primary health centers. 354,199 people had sought for help due to their sufferance from anxiety
(Olarte-ulherr, 2015). It is becoming common is adolescents and the young adults who are the
most vulnerable patients for depression. A rate of about 4% of depression cases are notified

9
ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
among the children with that of the figure reaching to 20% in the adolescents and young adults.
Experts have mainly blamed the stress of school life and social media is to have been the main
reasons for depression in the adolescents. The work and career pressures of the young adults and
the emotional turmoil in the relationship faced by them in such tender ages create huge stress
among the cohort. Another interesting fact has been stated in the article by psychiatrist Dr Rasha
Bassim. He is the clinical director of the Priory in Dubai Health Care City. He had been heard
stating that the often there are different cultures which work and live in the same environment in
Dubai. This can also lead to the creating of stressful mainly in case for young people. Social
media has the capability to affect the study as well as the concentration of the individuals in their
classes. Parents rarely have any mediums of control about what their children are exposed to the
social networking sites. Many researchers are of the opinion that it is indeed true for the children
to get their freedom to explore but is again a challenge to keep them safe from such situations.
Young people are seen to share many personal things online that affect their social lives and
harm the individuals emotionally. Patients are found to be busy nowadays and do not have
proper ideas about how to handle the issues of depression in their sons and daughters nowadays.
Even many of the parents are seen not to be able to distinguish between depression and sadness
of their children and consider them as phases of their lives which will move on. Again, in many
cases, guardians even cannot understand that their wards need support. Lack of proper
communication and bond may result in such situations. Therefore, it is extremely important for
the healthcare professionals as well as social workers to develop health promotion programs that
would help in targeting adolescents and young adults properly. Moreover, family members
would be involved so that they can cat as guides to the affected individuals effectively.

10
ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
Health promotion models:
It is very important for different health care workers to select proper healthcare models
by which they can correctly address the different aspects of the target audience. The health care
campaigns would be such that it would include interventions at all important levels and help in
overcoming the barriers that come in the pathways. Different types of healthcare programs can
be developed based on a number of models. These are the ecological models, health belief
models, relapse prevention models, theory of reasoned action, stages of change model, social
cognitive model and many others. Researchers have stated that it is also very important for the
healthcare workers to identify the correct models that can help them to cover up the necessary
aspects of the disorder and help in managing the disorder in the target audience properly (Hyun,
Son & Stark, 2017). For the mental health issue of depression in the adolescents and young
adults in the nation, the ecological model would be the best-suited model. This model helps in
focusing on five important aspects which when handled sequentially could lead to proper
changes in the target cohort. This would prevent the target audience from getting affected by
depression.
Campaign name: “Let us talk”
Steps:
The first step of this health model is taking intervention for the modification of the
interpersonal or the individual factors. Such factors are mainly responsible for the influencing the
behavior of the cohort such as their knowledge, personality, attitudes and personality. The
second step is called the interpersonal factors. This step would mainly involve considering the
interactions with different stakeholders. The healthcare promoters would mainly develop

11
ANTI-DEPRESSION CAPAIGN IN UAE
interventions and accumulate strategies that help in providing social support to the cohort. They
will also help in overcoming barriers to different forms of interpersonal growth that helps in
promoting healthy behaviors. The third aspect is the institutional as well as organizational
factors. This mainly comprises of the different rules, regulations, informal structures and policies
that helps to promote or contain healthy behaviors. The fourth aspect is the evaluation and
modifying of the community factors, which mainly involves the different formal and informal
social norms that exists between the different individuals, organizations and groups which limiter
enhance healthy behaviors the last aspect is the development of a public policy which will
mainly include local., federal as well as state policies and laws. This would help to regulate as
well as support different sorts of health actions and practices for diseases prevention (Gilbert,
2016). The public policy will have detailed guidelines of early detection, control and
management of depression in the cohort. The interventions that would be taken should cover all
the five aspects in a complete and detailed manner.
The first stage would mainly include conducting a social analysis. Communities would be
selected and statistical data needs to be collected to identify urgency of the issues. For this, the
easiest and the cost effective procedure would be to conduct surveys. The surveys would be
closed ended and would be of two types. The first type would be for the adolescents and the
young adults. This would be a multiple-choice questionnaire where the answers would be helpful
in identifying the different symptoms of the adolescents. The answers, which would be selected,
by the adolescents and young adults will automatically help in understanding whether they are
suffering from depression. The questionnaires would be requested to be distributed in the schools
and colleges so that the adolescents and young adults can properly fill them and submit back to
their teachers. Before that, the schools and colleges would be properly made to know the