Kazakhstan ranked 93rd in terms of spread of depression among 180 countries. According to the international independent online magazine Countrycassette, the proportion of Kazakhstanis who suffer from depressive disorder is 4.4%, compared to the significantly lower global figure of 3.9%. According to estimates, the number of citizens of our country who are susceptible to depression reaches 732.7 thousand people.
The top five anti-leader states with the highest prevalence of depression are headed by Ukraine, where the proportion of the population with signs of this mental health disorder is 6.3%. It is followed by the USA, Australia and Estonia, where the figure is 5.9%. Of the countries closest to Kazakhstan, the situation is worse only in Russia, where 5.5% of the population suffers from depressive disorders. In Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, this indicator of mental health is lower: from 4.2% to 3.8%. People in island states are least susceptible to depression.
The problem of quantifying the number of people suffering from depression is a complex public health challenge. After all, some people who are in a state of apathy and persistent despondency do not seek help from doctors. This trend is typical not only for Kazakhstan, but also for many other countries. Three years ago, the Wellcome Global Monitor International Charitable Foundation conducted a major study on mental health. To understand how people perceive anxiety and depression and try to help themselves, the organization’s specialists surveyed about 120 thousand people in 113 countries. They found that consulting a specialist and taking prescribed medications are far from the main methods people use to get out of depression. The most frequently mentioned methods of self-help were communication with friends and family (indicated by 78% of respondents), lifestyle adjustments (73%), walks in the fresh air and recreation in nature (71%), as well as changes in personal relationships in the family (62%) and at work (53%).
It should be noted that the above number of Kazakhstanis suffering from depression - 732.7 thousand people - is an estimate. The actual number can only be given for those citizens who consulted doctors and were given a psychiatric diagnosis. According to the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health (RSPCMH) of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in 2023 the total number of patients with mental and behavioral disorders under dynamic observation exceeded 198.4 thousand people. These are people with various mental disorders that manifest themselves without the influence of psychoactive substances (PAS). There were another 108.7 thousand people in Kazakhstan who suffered from such disorders while using drugs or other PAS. Compared to 2022, the situation has changed only slightly.
However, the number of citizens diagnosed for the first time increased last year. 13.1 thousand people (increase by 11.7%) received a diagnosis of a mental disorder without the influence of PAS. 13.4 thousand people (increase by 4.2%) were registered with mental disorders caused by the use of PAS.
It is worth noting that the volume of services provided by the country’s psychiatric hospitals has increased by 29.7% over the past year. If in 2022 such specialized medical institutions provided services worth 42.4 billion tenge (total data for four quarters), in 2023 the amount has already exceeded 54.9 billion tenge. The main source of funds is the budget. Data on the volume of services provided by private psychologists is not publicly available.
Analyzing the situation with the mental health of the population, experts from the RSPCMH note that our country is characterized by the global trends that WHO talks about. These include a low level of literacy of the population regarding their mental health, insufficient availability of psychological and psychiatric care services. Hence the unmet needs of people who are anxious or depressed, but do not seek any help. This point of view is set out by the center’s specialists in the Strategic Development Plan of the RSPCMH for 2022–2026. The organization’s specialists believe that there are not enough primary mental health centers in the regions of Kazakhstan, and the quality of outpatient care in rural hospitals is low. Experts believe that Kazakhstan needs to strengthen efforts to prevent suicides among both adults and adolescents. After all, suicide is often viewed as a fatal consequence of severe forms of depression and other mental disorders.
Source: https://ranking.kz/reviews/world/rasprostranyonnost-depressii-v-kazahstane-prevysila-srednemirovoy-pokazatel.html
The top five anti-leader states with the highest prevalence of depression are headed by Ukraine, where the proportion of the population with signs of this mental health disorder is 6.3%. It is followed by the USA, Australia and Estonia, where the figure is 5.9%. Of the countries closest to Kazakhstan, the situation is worse only in Russia, where 5.5% of the population suffers from depressive disorders. In Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, this indicator of mental health is lower: from 4.2% to 3.8%. People in island states are least susceptible to depression.
The problem of quantifying the number of people suffering from depression is a complex public health challenge. After all, some people who are in a state of apathy and persistent despondency do not seek help from doctors. This trend is typical not only for Kazakhstan, but also for many other countries. Three years ago, the Wellcome Global Monitor International Charitable Foundation conducted a major study on mental health. To understand how people perceive anxiety and depression and try to help themselves, the organization’s specialists surveyed about 120 thousand people in 113 countries. They found that consulting a specialist and taking prescribed medications are far from the main methods people use to get out of depression. The most frequently mentioned methods of self-help were communication with friends and family (indicated by 78% of respondents), lifestyle adjustments (73%), walks in the fresh air and recreation in nature (71%), as well as changes in personal relationships in the family (62%) and at work (53%).
It should be noted that the above number of Kazakhstanis suffering from depression - 732.7 thousand people - is an estimate. The actual number can only be given for those citizens who consulted doctors and were given a psychiatric diagnosis. According to the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health (RSPCMH) of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in 2023 the total number of patients with mental and behavioral disorders under dynamic observation exceeded 198.4 thousand people. These are people with various mental disorders that manifest themselves without the influence of psychoactive substances (PAS). There were another 108.7 thousand people in Kazakhstan who suffered from such disorders while using drugs or other PAS. Compared to 2022, the situation has changed only slightly.
However, the number of citizens diagnosed for the first time increased last year. 13.1 thousand people (increase by 11.7%) received a diagnosis of a mental disorder without the influence of PAS. 13.4 thousand people (increase by 4.2%) were registered with mental disorders caused by the use of PAS.
It is worth noting that the volume of services provided by the country’s psychiatric hospitals has increased by 29.7% over the past year. If in 2022 such specialized medical institutions provided services worth 42.4 billion tenge (total data for four quarters), in 2023 the amount has already exceeded 54.9 billion tenge. The main source of funds is the budget. Data on the volume of services provided by private psychologists is not publicly available.
Analyzing the situation with the mental health of the population, experts from the RSPCMH note that our country is characterized by the global trends that WHO talks about. These include a low level of literacy of the population regarding their mental health, insufficient availability of psychological and psychiatric care services. Hence the unmet needs of people who are anxious or depressed, but do not seek any help. This point of view is set out by the center’s specialists in the Strategic Development Plan of the RSPCMH for 2022–2026. The organization’s specialists believe that there are not enough primary mental health centers in the regions of Kazakhstan, and the quality of outpatient care in rural hospitals is low. Experts believe that Kazakhstan needs to strengthen efforts to prevent suicides among both adults and adolescents. After all, suicide is often viewed as a fatal consequence of severe forms of depression and other mental disorders.
Source: https://ranking.kz/reviews/world/rasprostranyonnost-depressii-v-kazahstane-prevysila-srednemirovoy-pokazatel.html