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Taroudant, Morocco- According to the Moroccan newspaper Almassae, the Ministry of Health has issued statistics indicating that more than five million Moroccans are depressed, and 200 thousand suffer from mental disorders.
The same source said that Hisham Berri, responsible for psychological and mental health in the Epidemiology Department in the Ministry of Health, revealed that nearly 49% of Moroccans aged 15 and older experienced psychological disorders in their lives, including lack of sleep, insomnia, and depression.
Hicham Berri added that 3% are heavy consumers of drugs, including 2.8% addicted. The percentage of excessive alcohol consumers reached 2%, with 1.4 % addicted.
In addition to the alarming shortfall of medical staff for psychological and mental illness, only 83 health institutions in the country provide psychological and mental care, which represents 0.25% of basic health institutions.
As for the reception capacity of patients suffering from depression and mental disorders, the number is estimated to be 30 units, with 2,043 beds.
According to a November 2013 study conducted by researchers at Australia’s University of Queensland, “the Middle East and North Africa suffer the world’s highest depression rates.”
While common people may describe depression as feeling unhappy and down, experts consider it a serious illness that can lead to severe health complications if the depressed does not go through medical care and special treatment.
According to the World Health Organization, “about 121 million people worldwide have some form of depression, although less than 25 percent have access to effective treatment.”
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