Wrong to think alcohol can curb depression

A QUARTER of the public believes having a few drinks will help combat depression, a study has revealed.

Some 280,000 people suffer from depression, but the public is misinformed about the condition and its treatment, according to the MRBI study.

“This is a shocking statistic because alcohol is a depressant, and even more distressing is that the percentage for those aged 55-plus believing this, is even higher at 36%,” said Dr Eamonn Shanahan, who contributed to the study.

The majority of people belive that depression is an individual weakness rather than a physical illness. And 13% said they would not visit their GP if they felt depressed, with 26% of 15-24 year-olds unlikely to go to their family doctor.

More than half the public incorrectly believes that depression doesn’t run in families. One of the most worrying statistic showed that 41% of people think there is no permanent cure for depression, and many wrongly think drugs that can treat the illness are addictive.

However, doctors insist that 70% of patients respond very well to treatments with a non-addictive single drug.

Dr Alan Wade, from CPS Clinical Research Centre in Clydebank, Scotland said there was a still stigma attached to depression in this country.

“There appears to be a worrying lack of understanding about the causes of depression among Irish people, despite the fact that depressive illnesses have a physical cause just like diabetes or any other disease,” he said. The study, commissioned by depression treatment specialists, Lundbeck Ireland, found twice as many women suffer from depression, while young men and elderly males living alone are the most likely to commit suicide.

Some 87% of the public said managers, housewives and the self-employed were prone to the illness.

Depression group AWARE can be contacted on 01-6617211.