To coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day, a series of seminars, group therapy sessions and other events will begin today across the country to raise public awareness of depression.
The event is sponsored by the Taiwan Alliance Against Depression, which was formed yesterday in Taipei by 10 major organizations with the goal of lowering depression and suicide rates.
Lin Ming-jeng (林明政), president of the Tainan Depression Care Association and a former depression sufferer, said that people who are plagued by depression or commit suicide are not mentally or emotionally “weak.”
“While depression can be induced by many different factors, one of the major factors is stress,” he said, adding that depression not only affects those with low self esteem, but also commonly affects perfectionists that expect too much from themselves and from others. When things don’t go their way, these people wind up becoming severely disappointed, he said.
The biggest challenge in treating patients with depression is learning how to encourage patients not to discontinue medication, which often causes the illness to recur, said Lai Te-jen (賴德仁), president of the Taiwan Association Against Depression.
“After one month [of treatment], 20 percent stop coming back. After two months, 50 percent; and after three months, the number climbs to 80 percent,” he said.
But “medication is not the only thing they need,” he added, emphasizing the importance of listening to and caring for people with the disorder.
At the press conference, Jeffery Su (蘇禾), secretary-general of the Can Love Foundation, said that he had been plagued by depression years ago.
“We want to let [people who are depressed] know that ‘I’m no longer alone,’ and that there is a reason for them to keep breathing,” he said.
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