The BA Organizes a Webinar on the “Economics of Depression”
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As part of the cultural events of the 16th round of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina International Book Fair, the BA organized a webinar entitled “The Economics of Depression”, delivered by Dr. Ahmed Okasha, Presidential Adviser on Mental Health and Community Consensus, and Honorary President of the Egyptian Psychiatric Association. The session tackled depression “the illness of the modern age”, how to combat it, as well as its economic effect on countries and communities.
Dr. Okasha said that depression is related to genetics, and largely to environmental factors. He stated that one out of four persons in an Egyptian family might be suffering from depression, highlighting the fact that the rate of women diagnosed with depression is higher than that of men. Additionally, he noted that creativity is mostly associated with depression, which often makes a large proportion of artists suffer from depression. He also proposed that medical students should study depression in a more detailed and profound way as part of their academic curriculums.
It is worth mentioning that this year’s Fair is held in exceptional circumstances. Accordingly, the BA is organizing the cultural events of this round remotely, in line with the precautionary measures adopted to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.