Depression ‘linked to money worries’
Money problems as a result of several factors, such as the recession, may be behind a rise in depression around England, according to new research obtained by the BBC. The news provider recently revealed that prescriptions for anti-depressant drugs, like Prozac, jumped by over 40 per cent over the last four years alone.
Furthermore, a consultation discovered that both GPs and charities, such as Depression Alliance UK, revealed they were being contacted more and more by people who were unable to get on top of their finances, or were worried about the security of their job. Financial difficulty is generally seen as one of the biggest triggers, though the report noted that plenty other factors may also be playing a role in the rise.
The government, meanwhile, has been boosting access to a range of talking therapies to mitigate the use of anti-depressants; the BBC reported that in the last year alone, referrals for talking therapies jumped by four times to around 600,000, according to figures from the Department of Health.
Speaking to the Press Association about the findings, Emer O’Neill, chief executive of Depression Alliance UK, explained that stigmatisation of such things as depression is lifting and people are much more open about the situation.
She said: “There is an increase in the number of people suffering from depression. GPs are better at diagnosing it than before, and there is now a better access to treatment than ever, but there is a higher number of people with depression than there was before. The financial strain on many people has never been worse. They are worried about their spiralling bills and where the next meal is coming from. It can make you feel very down, and it soon becomes a cycle.”
If you want to learn more about depression, visit the Depression Alliance UK at http://www.depressionalliance.org/