Paul & Dewey (2006) defined depression as a health condition which is characterised with intense feelings of low mood or sadness. Even though these are common feelings in human life that are likely to come as a result of normal reactions to matters of life, depression is much more serious since it interferes with people’s lives in a negative manner (p. 285).
Globally, the incidence of depression tends to be high. However, the prevalence of the condition varies greatly throughout the world, with some countries having higher rates than others. Focusing on the Australian context, Slade and others (2009) stated that depression is among the top three individual health problems in Australia together with stroke and heart attack.
The incidence of the disease in the country is observed to have risen over the years to reach very high levels today (p. 594). According to the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, conducted in 2014, there are around one million people in Australia suffering from depression today.
In fact, depression has a high lifetime-prevalence where it is observed that one in seven Australians will experience depression in their lifetime. Depression triggers serious economic as well as social impacts on Australians, as a result of the management costs and the many suicide deaths that would tend to arise from the condition.
Even though depression can occur at any age of life, it is very common with the elderly people who are highly exposed to most of the factors contributing to the condition. There are many factors that can trigger depression for all age groups, but some of the common causes would include things such as illnesses, bereavement, loss of independence, and exposure to brutal life conditions.
People having depression may be identified with feelings of sadness, loss of interest in common matters of life, hopelessness, emptiness, and despair, among other symptoms (Barney et al., 2006). This condition can interfere with people’s ability to eat, rest, work, participate in studies, and interact with others. The prognosis for people suffering from depression is often not favourable.
In most cases, the deep hopelessness experienced in depression would make victims see suicide as the only way to escape from the brutalities of the condition (Sanchez, 2001).
Also, depression can result in permanent insanity and non-fatal disability. Apart from the extreme outcomes highlighted above, victims are also likely to adopt bad behaviours that can be characterised with things such as homicidal violence, drug abuse, and irritability.
The treatment of people with depression has become much easier in Australia due to the many developments that have been realised in the Healthcare Sector. For instance, the use of modern technologies in the sector has improved the work of the professionals who deal with this condition, thus making it more manageable (Sawyer et al., 2001).
Different health care professionals across the country can offer treatment and advice on how to handle depression. Apart from the role played by doctors, much help can also be realised through the help of psychologists and psychiatrists.
These later professionals in the health care sector assist people to cope with life issues in an effective way, thus helping to minimise cases of depression (Wilson, 2007). Common psychological treatments in Australia include things such as family therapy, interpersonal therapy, and cognitive behavior therapy.
Depression is often misunderstood by many people in the world, and this helps to explain the many myths surrounding the condition today. For example, there are many misunderstandings about the condition and how it impacts people’s lives in Australia.
Following is a summary of some of the common myths of depression in the country. There is concrete evidence that many people in Australia tend to believe that depression is the cause of all suicide deaths in the world, but this not true (Reavley & Jorm, 2011). Even though depression is a major cause of suicide deaths, not all people who commit suicide suffer from the condition.
But the truth of the matter is that suicide deaths can also occur as a result of other causes. In some cases, people have also been misled to believe that depression is a communicable disease. This is also not true, since it has been proven that depression is a condition which is triggered by some common factors in life.
There is also a misunderstanding that all young people will develop depression, and therefore, it is just a normal part of human life (Jorm et al., 2006). This is also a myth, and the truth about this perception is that depression does not come just to anybody, and in case it occurs, it can be to people of any age and not only young people.
This explanation can also apply in dismissing a belief by some communities that depression only affects the old, which is also not true. Another false belief about depression is that it always leads to insanity. There is also a misleading perception that people suffering from this condition are doomed.
Another serious misinformation about depression is that, talking and listening to ones family and friends alone can permanently cure the condition. All these myths among others that have not been observed here are likely to perpetuate discrimination and stigma against the victims.
For instance, people suffering from the condition will be sidelined by others for fear that they will pass the disease to them. More importantly, the victims are viewed as doomed people who are destined for death through suicide, and in that case, they are discriminated and stigmatized by others in the community.
The media, both fiction and non-fiction, has been a significant tool which has been used to portray the issue of depression and other mental problems in Australia.
Even though study has shown most of these media to have played a key role in informing the public about depression, others have just misinformed people about the condition, thus further perpetuating the discrimination and stigma associated with it (Highet, Luscombe & Davenport, 2006).
However, the good news is that over 80 percent of the media have taken the issue of depression more seriously, thus applying every effort to inform people about it. A good example here is the Australian print media which has extensively continued to educate people about the facts surrounding the condition (McGorry et al., 2007).
More positive outcomes in regard with media portrayal of depression are likely to be realised in Australia, considering the efforts of programs such as ‘Mindframe National Media Initiative’ that have been at the fore-front in providing guidelines on how different media platforms should portray depression to the people.
References
Barney, L., Griffiths, K., Jorm, A., & Christensen, H. (2006). Stigma about depression and its impact on help‐seeking intentions. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40(1), 51-54.
Highet, N., Luscombe, G., & Davenport, T. (2006). Positive relationships between public awareness activity and recognition of the impacts of depression in Australia and Burns. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40(1), 55-58.
Jorm, A., Barney, L., Christensen, H., Highet, N., Kelly, C., & Kitchener, B. (2006). Research on mental health literacy: what we know and what we still need to know. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40(1), 3-5.
McGorry, P., Purcell, R., Hickie, I., & Jorm, A. (2007). Investing in youth mental health is a best buy. Medical Journal of Australia, 187(7), S5-S7.
Paul, S. & Dewey, H. (2006). Prevalence of depression and use of antidepressant medication at 5-years poststroke in the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study. Stroke, 37(11), 285-289.
Reavley, N., & Jorm, A. (2011). Recognition of mental disorders and beliefs about treatment and outcome: findings from an Australian National Survey of Mental Health Literacy and Stigma. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 45(11), 947-956.
Sanchez, L. (2001). Suicide in mood disorders. Depress Anxiety, 14(3), 77-82.
Sawyer, M., Arney, F., Baghurst, P., Clark, J., Graetz, B., Kosky, R., & Zubrick, S. (2001). The mental health of young people in Australia: key findings from the child and adolescent component of the national survey of mental health and well‐being. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 35(6), 806-814.
Slade, T., Johnston, A., Oakley B., Andrews, G., & Whiteford, H. (2009). 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: methods and key findings. Australasian Psychiatry, 43(7), 594-605.
Wilson, C. J. (2007). When and how do young people seek professional help for mental health problems? The Medical Journal of Australia, 187(4), S35-S39.