Is there an increase in depression?

Written by Renee Mill on September 3, 2011 - 0 Comments
Categories: Adults, Depression

Depression has become an open topic in our generation. Frequently I am asked if more people are suffering from depression than ever before.

Many people think that the rates of depression have always been this high but were undiagnosed. They believe that it is just that practitioners today are more educated in the field and therefore diagnose it more.

Other people, who think the rates have been constant, suggest that the reason they appear to be higher is because our generation is more transparent about their feelings and symptoms and seek help more openly.

There is another group of cynics who believe that psychiatrists and pharmaceutical companies go out of their way to push the concept of depression as an illness in order to make money from selling anti-depressant medications.

Believe it or not, there is even a small group who believe there is a conspiracy going on to control the minds of innocent people. They state that labelling somebody with a mental illness is repressive and treating them with medication and hospitalisation is a way of manipulating and controlling society.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion – but that is all it is. An opinion is not necessarily reality. Anybody who has ever suffered from depression knows it is a debilitating disease which is unbearable. In most cases, therapy, medication and/or hospitalisation brings welcome relief.

In my experience, over the past forty years, the incidence of depression has increased. My goal is always to treat and empower, never to harm or manipulate. I trust that 99% of my worthy colleagues do the same.