Continuing Professional Development, How to Understand Depression Across The Lifespan

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders, a global burden, and affects millions of people worldwide. In 2017, depression became the third burden disease that cause disability and death globally. Depression is expected to increase to the first place in 2030. Physical disorders can affect mental disorders, and vice versa; mental disorders can affect or cause physical disorders. Depression is a frequent comorbidity of chronic physical illness. The existence of untreated physical illness can impact the lack of effectiveness of treatment, increased treatment costs due to laboratory tests and improper treatment, and the length of stay in the hospital. Some anticipatory efforts in the form of screening are needed for patients who are prone to mental disorders.