Attitudes

If people know there is a safe and effective treatment for depression, why doesn't everybody seek help?

The reasons are numerous, stigma and/or denial amongst others...

Lack of knowledge

It can also be due to a lack of knowledge. The less you know about depression, the lower the chances of you or those closest to you will intervene in time.

In recent years, health promotion board, doctors, patient support group and patients themselves have done a great deal to inform people about mental illnesses and about depression in particular. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that negative attitudes towards depression are slowly being address, though not as fast as we want but it is a good start. In newspapers and on TV, you often heard about well known people talking about their depression. They share with us how they have started working again or how they have resume their activities they loved and basically, how they got back on track with their life.

We are in an era where research and development are at its finest, everyday, scienitists all over the world are trying to find out more about depression, to the benefit of everyone, and this is one of the purpose of DepNet to dissminate the latest information, news and to bring hope and support.

Prejudice

However, there are many prejudices concerning depression. Imagine, you have to tell your colleagues at work why you are on sick leave for such a long time.

What would you rather tell them?

• That you injured yourself on a skiing trip to the Alps?
• That you injured yourself tripping over a doorstep?
• That you were suffering from a protracted but harmless infection?
• That you had stomach ulcers?
• That you have had a serious heart problem?
• That you were suffering from depression?

They think that mental illness is something very different from other illnesses. Perhaps we are ashamed that we have not "been strong enough" if we have had a mental illness. We try to hide our depression both at work and at home because we are afraid of what other people will think and say.

Try to think about how many illnesses and injuries are caused by stupid behaviour or thoughtless actions. Many illnesses and injuries are caused by:

• tobacco
• alcohol
• poor kitchen hygiene
• sport
• careless driving
• failure to follow safety precautions at work, etc.

Given all this, isn't it rather strange that mental illness can cause such feelings of shame and guilt? With greater awareness and openness about depression, the illness will soon be seen as unfortunate and serious, but not anything to be embarrassed about.