Depression - Ranked Third in Survey of Disruptive Conditions

Three out of four daults say that depression is a very disruptive illness. Depression is ranked third most disruptive illness after Alzheimer's disease and Schizophrenia. Cancer and Parkinson's disease were ranked fourth and fifth in the survey.

People need to be more open and admit that depression is disruptive to their daily lives, they are then more likely to acknowledge it as a very serious problem that requires treatment rather than something that will go away by itself. People's reluctance to discuss mental health problems is still linked to the fact that they may be ridiculed or discriminated against. Depression is still under-reported due to this factor and stigma attached.

What you need to do if depression is intefering with your daily life, your job, your relationships, is to research whether you are suffering from stress, which can have very similar trends to depression, or whether you require medication or therapy for depression. People need to seek out treatment if they have a level of dysfunction which prevents them from concentrating on work , are constantly fatigued or find social interaction difficult.

The good news is that more people are willing to discuss their depression with family members or friends about their mental health problems. Another great step forward is that people are trying to educate themselves about good mental health and are prepared to take responsibility and steps to be cured. Whilst the public perception in general is still negative about mental health issues, people are moving forward individually in order to sort out their problems. This is a very encouraging finding.

Society should be taught to treat promotion of mental health in the same manner as the promotion of good health and good physical health. People with depression need to recognize their stress factors and plan how to cope with them. With depression ranking 3rd in the most disruptive conditions that people suffer then mental health education needs to be focused on by Government, Health Organizations and the general public, in order to de-stigmaitze mental health issues.