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Depression is real problem all around the world, and experts think that there are many Belizeans walking around with the illness, and they're not getting the proper treatment. Daniel Ortiz has examining this complex issue closely, and here's his story:

Daniel Ortiz Reporting

Depression, like many other mental health disorders, is an ailment that Belizeans ignore as a minor annoyance, but there are millions of people who struggle with it every day.

Eleanor Bennett - Psychiatric Nurse
"It's a problem all over the world. According to the World Health Organization, about 300 million people all over the world suffer with depression."

Dr. Marvin Manzanero - Director of Health Services, Ministry of Health
“It is estimated that about 5% of the global population is depressed, but in some more advanced country, financially that is, only about 40 to 50% of those requiring treatment, are actually on treatment."

Thus, the local experts reason that depression is present in the Belizean population as well.

Eleanor Bennett
"Quite a Bit of Belizeans are suffering with Depression. They are probably not getting the treatment, but we do know that it's a problem for us here in Belize."

So, what is the face of depression? Well, it’s not so simple, and being sad is not the only symptom

Dr. Marvin Manzanero
“I think it's misdiagnosed. I think one of the major misconceptions about we tend to have is we tend to assume that depression equates to sadness. Depression doesn't really have a specific face. Depression has a wide array of symptoms. You can have people who are just generally weak, people who are losing appetite, people who are binging in terms of food, people abusing drugs, people just losing weight, putting on weight, people having diarrhoea, constipation. etc. They can all be signs and symptoms of depression.â€￾

Eleanor Bennett
“It's the person who goes to our clinics, over and over for back pain, belly aches, stomach problems, and who can't sleep, or it be the person who is always a little too happy, as if they are trying to hide what they are actually feeling, that they are trying very hard for people to see that they are very happy. Or, it could be the person who says nothing, who is always quiet, who goes about doing their work, who just doesn't interact. One of the key characteristics, and that's why the topic is let's talk, that is, there are always going to be subtle signs and symptoms that patients gradually develop, that the people close to you, or around you, are going to be able to detect and flag."

The diagnosis is made more difficult because the section of the population afflicted with the disorder may refuse to acknowledge this, simply because of the stigma associated with having a mental illness.

Dr. Marvin Manzanero
“The Belizean population tends to stigmatize any kind of mental health situation, to the point that, when you, as a clinician, is referring somebody to a psychiatrist, but I am not crazy. I am not going to a psychiatrist. You don't have to be crazy in the common lingo to go a psychiatrist.â€￾

And, the problem is more pronounced in men.

Dr. Marvin Manzanero
“Men are not supposed to be seen as men who cry because you are going to be seen as a weaker person. Probably, you shouldn't be seeking out the mental health situation because you need to "Man up", as they would say to the situation. That is hardly the case. Real men get depressed. When you look at the suicide rates, men are more likely to commit suicide than women."

Eleanor Bennett
“We socialize our boys to not talk, so that's what we're fighting against. We're fighting against how we socialize men to be strong, to take care of their own stuff, to be physical, and we tell them that feelings are not for men."

Dr. Marvin Manzanero
“Men are - they are less likely to go to a health facility for a depression state. They might usually engage in or seek refuge in some other kind of avenue."

Eleanor Bennett
“We keep trying to use all these opportunities to talk about depression, to tell men, listen, as long as you're human, you can become sick. Your brain can become sick. We can become depressed, and turning to alcohol is not positive way of dealing with your depression. Actually, what it does, it creates 2 disorders. Turning to alcohol creates a substance abuse disorder, which is difficult to treat."

And apart from the development of a drug abuse problem, untreated depression can manifest itself unhealthy alternative emotions such as misplaced rage or aggression.

Eleanor Bennett
“If you are not the talking type, then you will be the expressing or doing type. And, if you're suffering from depression, which is a disease that causes some negative feelings, those feelings, if you're not taking care of them in the researched way, they are going to come out elsewhere, and often times, it comes out as aggression. It comes out as withdrawal, and these things destroy your social relationships. So, you're not as responsive to your children. You're not as responsive to your spouse. It probably creates some of the issues we have socially here. There is a lot of fighting; There is a lot of murders. It could be related.â€￾

So, how do the professionals treat depression? Well, you'd be surprise to know that talking about these suppressed feelings is rather effective.

Eleanor Bennett
"Let's talk, man. That's how we start to treat depression. People need to talk, and talking is not just you and me, but when people come to therapy, there is a specific types of talk therapy that has been proven and shown to work. The research will show you that talking about depression, who will help you identify your thoughts and your behaviours, it actually changes the environment in your brain. So, know that this works, and that is being promoted as the first step in treating depression. There are other ways to treat it. It could be [that] we have to add medication in many cases, and there are things people can do to manage."

The theme for today's World Health Day is "Depression - Let's Talk".