News reports, TV dramas, and variety entertainment programs are mentioning this disease more and more, and the news of some public figures having depression is also prompting young people to discuss depression on social media.
This abundance of information related to depression may be a major driving force for young people to realize their own situation and then seek a diagnosis. Does this really mean that more people are suffering from depression?
What are the true causes of depression and how does mental health literacy help patients overcome depression?
Mental health literacy is the foundation for patients to seek professional help. Simply put, it is whether patients can recognize that their condition is depression, rather than just poor sleep or a bad mood.
Most physiological illnesses including depression have a high stigma attached to them. People generally do not feel ashamed for having a cold or spraining a joint, but they do feel ashamed for having depression.
The stigma of depression not only refers to the shame patients feel about their own condition but also includes the negative perceptions of the public towards patients. Although the prevalence of depression is increasing, which may imply that more patients have a better understanding of depression, this awareness still needs to be disseminated among a wider population.
Therefore, the real cause of depression is when depressed patients mention their illness experiences, they can generally feel the negative labels surrounding depression patients in the environment. Behind these negative labels is the stigma of the public towards depression, believing that depression is not a medical condition but a made-up concept.
This stigma severely impacts the seeking of professional help and recovery of depression patients, especially when these views come from their family and friends: for example, lack of support from friends for seeking professional help, thinking anyone who sees a doctor will be diagnosed with depression, opposition from family members to taking antidepressants, believing that medication is harmful. These situations greatly exacerbate the suffering of depression patients and hinder the recovery process.
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Insightful doctors have something to say: Depression is not an incurable disease, and depression patients are not monsters. The treatment rate for depression in our country is still very low, and a significant number of patients have not sought professional help.
It may be due to not realizing they are ill, or perhaps fearing the judgment of others and attempting to self-heal, or even seeking help from illegal entities due to misleading information.
Therefore, the decrease in quality of life and work capacity for depression patients is a real issue, and increasing the awareness of depression among the public is a long and arduous task.
