By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: As part of the effort to combat the global crisis of mental depression, a large number of youth took out a walk for Mental Health from the Basketball court at Pohkseh to Rynjah, RR colony which culminated back at the basketball court here on Saturday.
Organized by a pioneer institution for mental health and rehabilitation in the north east- ‘Sanker’ as part of the 20th World Mental Health Day, this walk saw the participation of former home minister and prominent citizen of the state RG Lyngdoh, founder of Sanker Dr Sandi Syiem, students from the Bethany society, Martin Luther Christian University, doctors and staffs of Sanker besides others.
Prior to this, Sanker had organized several activities for school students from different schools in the city and a seminar on depression will be held on October 10 including a continuing medical education programme for physicians. The aim of these activities is to disseminate correct information and expel myth and stigma about this treatable condition.
The theme for this year’s world mental health day celebration being ‘depression-a global crisis’ has been adopted following the concerns expressed by the World health Organization (WHO) who ranked unipolar depressive disorders as the third leading cause of the global burden of diseases in 2004 and which is expected to take the first place by 2013.
World mental health day 2012 aimed to encouraged governments and civil societies around the world to address depression as a widespread illness that affects not only individuals but also their families and peers and to recognize the fact of it being a treatable condition.