The World Health Day (7^th April) is a global health awareness day. And the highlight of this year was “Depression” which is a common mental disorder that affects people of all ages, from all walks of life, in all countries. The risk of becoming depressed is increased by poverty, unemployment, life events such as the death of a loved one or a relationship break-up, physical illness, health issues and problems caused by alcohol and drug use. Untreated depression can prevent people from working and participating in family and community life. To mark this occasion Yuva Goonj organized a talk by Dr. Rajesh Kumar MD (Medicine) of Paras Hospital for a talk on “Depression, its cause and mental health well- being”.

One of the important causes of Depression seen amongst youth today, is “Obesity”. The drive to remain slim is getting stronger and not able to reach the required status have led people to depression irrespective of their gender. Obesity can cause poor self-image, low self-esteem, and social isolation, all known to be good contributors to depression. Those who are obese can also find themselves ostracized, stereotyped, and discriminated against. The extra weight carried around by obese people can result in chronic joint pain as well as serious diseases like diabetes and hypertension, all of which have been linked to depression.

Dr.Rajesh gave a very interesting lecture on how food habits lead us to the various health issues like Obesity and diabetes and finally leading to “Depression”. He also broke myths about the diet plans that we generally follow due to the paucity of time in our day to day schedule. He focused on the importance of eating in the correct time and the correct proportion.

This was followed by an awareness session by “DATRI” on Blood Stem Cell Donation. Datri helps save lives of those suffering from life threatening disorders like Leukemia, Lymphoma etc. With very few registered donors available in India, the chances of finding a match for an Indian patient anywhere in the world is bleak. Datri is working towards creating a wider diverse database of potential donors across the world that can be accessed by any patient in need of a Blood Stem cell Transplant.

A good number of students and staff had registered themselves soon after the session as donors, an act truly honored by all present.

 

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