While Bermudians appear to be just as depressed as people in other developed countries, a notable difference is their desire to keep working. In fact according to Dr. Cuda Sarathchandra, Chief of Psychiatry at the Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute (MAWI) the willingness to work is not limited to those suffering with depression.

“I’ve noticed here that even the most ill psychotic patient has found some work. I find this very encouraging,” he said.

“Psychiatrists are not like GPs where you might treat someone with an illness and see them cured.

“Most of our patients have life-long conditions and our target is to get a functional normality,” he added.

Dr. Sarathchandra said depression is the most prevalent mental health disorder in developed countries.

He believes it is also rampant in developing nations but that people’s attitudes towards it are different.

“People’s perception of depression is different. In the developed world, people recognise it and seek treatment. In these countries people understand the concept of stress. But the downside of this is that it makes some dependant on the health care system. It doesn’t allow them to work out the barriers that will make them functional,” he said.

In the United Kingdom, where there is a state-funded National Health System, Dr. Sarathchandra said the bulk of his patients had depression disorders and were unemployed. He said the majority of them used their illness as a reason for being unable to work.

In fact, asked to describe the most interesting case he’s seen in his career, Dr. Sarathchandra spoke about a patient he had in the UK who suffered with bipolar disorder — manic depression.

The patient was 50 years old and delusional when he first saw him.

He came from a wealthy family and had started several businesses, all of which had flopped.

“He had lost over half a million pounds through these failed businesses but while the tendency for such people is to blame something or someone else and to deny their illness, this man wanted to go back to work and eventually got better,” Dr. Sarathchandra said.

He said the man took charge of his illness by conceding to taking medication regularly.

“He had been given medication previously but would always stop taking it,” he said.

Dr. Sarathchandra said he took great care in explaining the disease to the man and exactly how the medication would benefit him. He believes that his patient’s desire to return to work help motivate him to achieve some normality in his life.

“He became insightful about his condition and reached the stage where he would call me to ensure he had enough medication to last for the duration of a trip to visit his sister in California,” he said.

He said the case inspires him: “That someone who had suffered this magnitude of loss could make a change.”

The motivation to work is also evident in Dr. Sarathchandra’s personal life.

He has taken on the post of Chief of Psychiatry at MAWI in his retirement.

Here on a three-year work permit, he said his plans are to adopt a more leisurely retirement at the end of his contract.

This will enable him to spend more time snorkelling, scuba diving, playing tennis and practising golf still, his plans are only to somewhat scale back his office hours.

“I think I’ll work about six months out of the year,” he said.