The main aim behind the event is to show that depression is not a short-lived bad mood but a sickness that requires treatment.

This year’s theme is the link between depression and insomnia. Physicians stress that people suffering from sleep disorders have a much higher risk of developing depression.

"We have trouble sleeping, we wake up during the night and sleep does not help us regenerate. We feel tired after waking up,” says Psychologist Professor Janusz Heitzman, from the Jagiellonian University. “Low spirits in the morning are a serious symptom of severe depression. Interfering with this biological clock is the reason why our mood and activity are lower in the early hours of the day and pick up only when the day is done."

According to the World Health Organisation, depression is the most common mental illness, with 121 million people suffering from it, making it the fourth largest health problem in the world. As the organization forecasts, depression may soon rise to second place, right after diseases of the cardiovascular system.

While depression may be successfully treated, both pharmacologically and by way of psychotherapy, only a half of the people suffering from it seek medical assistance. (ab)