Stigma still surrounds depression

More than two-thirds of Irish people still believe that there is a social stigma attached to depression, a new report has found.

In Ireland, it is estimated that 400,000 people suffer from depression at any one time.

According to the report, 74% of women and 68% consider the condition to be stigmatising.

However, the report also found that awareness of depression and its symptoms have increased in Ireland.

More than two-thirds of those who have personally experienced depression said that ‘many’ or ‘some’ would have been aware of their condition at the time, compared to just 9% in the 2008 study.

Almost one in three respondents believe that the unemployed are the most likely group in Irish society to experience depression.

However, those who personally suffer with depression believe that it is most common among youths/teens (31%), followed by the unemployed (23%), women (17%) and men (11%).

Interestingly, 84% of people surveyed believe that men and women deal with depression differently.

Furthermore, 72% of women and 61% of men found discussing depression with a doctor or health professional difficult.

Almost of the respondents agreed that depression could impact on a person’s ability to cope in everyday situations.

Speaking at the launch of the research, GP Dr Eamonn Shanahan said that while it was encouraging to see that people are talking about depression more, which suggests that those with depression are less inclined to conceal their condition from family and friends, there is still a lot more to do in order to fight the high level of stigma attached to depression in Ireland.

“Depression is a common condition in Ireland. While the research has found that there is greater awareness for depression, the majority of people still believe that depression is not well understood (82%),” Dr Shanahan said.

“Depression can affect anyone, at any time, so it is vital that those experiencing symptoms talk to a healthcare professional as depression can be treated effectively with medication and/or psychotherapy.”

The report, Mind Yourself – The Lundbeck Mental Health Barometer, was launched today. For more information on depression, contact support group Aware on 1890 303 302.

[Posted: Mon 06/07/2009]