85% of patients who have suffered from depression fear return of illness

MORE than three-quarters of patients who have suffered from depression worry that they will experience further bouts of the illness.

A study for Depression Alliance found that 85% of depressed patients were concerned the condition would return to haunt them, with a third reporting “overt fear or anxiety.”

The charity said that for most the fear became a reality, with nine out of 10 of those with depression experiencing at least one repeat episode. The research, carried out by Taylor Nelson Sofres, is published in the Journal of Current Medical Research and Opinion.