Three-quarters of Britons 'suffer from depression'

[Sol Invictus]

Three out of four people in the UK suffer from depression at some point but only a third seek help, according to a new poll.

Telegraph.co.uk
Published: 7:30AM GMT 01 Feb 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7121753/Three-quarters-of-Britons-suffer-from-depression.html

Women are more likely to feel depressed than men, with 80% saying they regularly or occasionally feel down or unable to cope.

Money is the biggest cause of depression, with more than half of all people surveyed saying they have felt down about money over the last 12 months.

Men are particularly likely to have linked their depression to the recession, whereas women have been worried about family or relationships.

January is regarded as the most depressing month of the year, caused by post-Christmas credit card bills and cold weather.

Zelda Peters, director for mental health at the charity Turning Point, said even mild depression needs to be identified and treated early.

''We know that, if diagnosed early, mild depression can be successfully treated.

''If not, it can escalate and lead to unemployment or long-term sickness, and even to negative behaviours such as drinking more, missing work or college and lying to family and friends.

''Most people think anti-depressants are the answer and for some people they are.

''But there are a huge range of treatments beyond this on offer, such as psychological therapies which provide effective long-term relief.''

[Liffrea]

Feeling down and fed up isn’t “depression”, it’s called life.

[poiuytrewq0987]

People who take antidepressants need to take a serious look at their life, especially when they need happy pills to get through their daily life.

[Phil75231]

As a recovering, but still occasional,f depression sufferer, most depression comes from (a) having misplaced priorities, (b) mispositioned passions, (c) assuming certain things to be true that you really shouldn't. Even so, there are cases like PTSD that result from trauma or exposure to trauma (war, threat of hideous forms of bodily harm, seeing mangled bodies, extreme violence or abuse, extreme humiliation - particularly when you think people can't truly understand you or even try to open their mind to your concern or perspective).

In short, many people with depression need a fundamental restructuring of their though patterns. Even then, they still have to have to learn to fight their "inner self-critic" telling them "oh, you're so stupid for believing for that!"

[Sol Invictus]

There are people who suffer from debilitating mental diseases which prevent them from normal life, I don't dispute that, but we live in an age where the quick fix is something best sought after. We've been conditioned to believe that popping a pill and not confronting our problems is the best solution - a pill that scientific studies have shown to be for the most part inneffective, and any improvements in mental health is for the most part a placebo effect. We live in an age where emotions and normal childhood developmental phases are considered disabilities and mental illnesses that must be treated with inneffective and often dangerous medication that causes horrible side effects which plague people for the rest of their lives.

[Bridie]

I'd be depressed if I lived in the UK too.

[Beorn]

The title should really read that 'three quarters of Britons suffer from not getting out and about and meeting and having some social interaction with people, being stuck at home doing sweet fuck all all day and sitting around eating crap and wonderinng why the pounds pile on.'

With hindsight their headline is more catchy, but the point still remains: People need to get more active in life. I only thank the Gods that I work in construction which requires me to work outdoors and interact with people. It would drive me up the wall having it any other way.