"Depression More Dangerous Than COVID-19... Be Sure to Take a Self-Diagnosis"

80% of Depression Cases Worsen When Attempted to Solve Alone
Must Seek Medical Consultation if Self-Diagnosis Score is 5 or Higher
Regular Eating Habits and Exercise Help in Prevention

Professor Kim Sun-mi, Department of Psychiatry, Chung-Ang University Hospital.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued for over two years, the risk of 'Corona Blue (COVID-19 depression)' is increasing. Prolonged social distancing and fear of infection are leading to a higher risk of depression.

According to the '2021 COVID-19 National Mental Health Survey' recently released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, one in five people showed a risk of depression, and the proportion of people who considered extreme choices increased by 40%. Practical measures are needed to check and address depression caused by COVID-19.

Early symptoms of depression tend to include feeling frequently down recently or losing interest and pleasure in activities that were once enjoyable. Additionally, people often feel lethargic and tired, have difficulty falling asleep or frequently wake up during the night, and in rare cases, experience increased sleep along with lethargy compared to usual.

Regarding this 'Corona Blue,' Professor Kim Sun-mi of the Department of Psychiatry at Chung-Ang University Hospital advised on the 9th, "If you experience even one of the early symptoms of depression, you can first check yourself using the self-diagnostic scale called the ‘Depression Screening Tool (PHQ-9; Patient Health Questionnaire-9)’."

The depression screening tool is a questionnaire created for self-examination to simply screen for depression and assess its severity. It checks how often various depression-related symptoms have occurred over the past two weeks and scores the results to determine the risk of depression.

The evaluation items include nine questions: ▲Lack of interest or pleasure in work or leisure activities ▲Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless ▲Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping too much ▲Feeling tired or having little energy ▲Poor appetite or overeating ▲Negative self-view, feeling like a failure, or thinking you have let yourself or your family down ▲Difficulty concentrating on reading the newspaper or watching television ▲Moving or speaking so slowly that others notice, or being so restless that you move more than usual ▲Thinking that you would be better off dead or thinking of self-harm.

Each evaluation item is scored from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day), indicating how often these problems caused difficulties in the past two weeks. A total score of 20?27 indicates severe depression, 10?19 moderate depression, 5?9 mild depression, and 1?4 no depression. If the score is 5 or higher, it is necessary to visit a hospital for a more accurate evaluation and treatment.

Professor Kim said, "Although many modern people complain of depression and the number of depression patients has increased due to COVID-19, less than 30% of all depression patients actually visit hospitals for treatment," adding, "About 76% of depression patients do not receive treatment because they think they can solve it themselves. Considering that 60?70% of depression patients think about suicide and 15% have attempted suicide, it is essential to visit a hospital for treatment rather than trying to handle it alone."

To prevent depression, it is important to maintain a biological rhythm through regular sleep and meals. Especially, being awake during daylight and sleeping when it is dark is good for mental health. Exposure to sunlight during the day helps synthesize serotonin, an anti-depression hormone, so maintaining daytime activity is important. Regular meals, healthy eating habits, and exercise are also good habits to prevent depression. Professor Kim explained, "It is known that doing aerobic exercise, strength training, yoga, stretching, or tension exercises outdoors for more than 30 minutes, three times a week, consistently for over eight weeks is best for stress control and depression prevention."

Conversely, frequent drinking to overcome depression is risky. Professor Kim said, "If you get used to frequent drinking, withdrawal can cause rebound anxiety, depression, and insomnia, so it is best to refrain as much as possible," adding, "Occasional enjoyment is fine, but it is important to be cautious about drinking daily or on specific days regularly."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.