Nearly two-thirds of depressed people do not get proper treatment clinical depression is a very common psychological problem, and most people never seek proper treatment, or seek treatment but they are misdiagnosed with physical illness. This is extremely unfortunate because, with proper treatment, nearly 80% of those with depression can make significant improvement in their mood and life adjustment
How Depression can affect the family
Concern
- Initially, the family becomes concerned about their loved one who is exhibiting signs of depression. They might attempt to cheer up the depressed person at first, try to get her to "snap out of it." They may try encouraging the depressed person to get up, get out and do something fun or relaxing, get back into her normal routine or go to a doctor. As worrying increases, they may begin to feel the need to change their own plans to keep the depressed person company, or to watch the person if there is a fear the depressed person might harm herself.
Pressure
- If the depressed person has been neglecting himself and his responsibilities, or is in danger of harming himself, the family begins to feel the stress more strongly. The pressure is on to always make sure one or more family members are available to keep the depressed person company, pick up the depressed person's slack in household duties or earning income, and cater to the depressed person's basic needs.
Frustration
- Frustration for families dealing with a depressed member comes from many sources. One source is the feeling of helplessness a family member can feel when she cannot help their loved one snap out of a state of depression. Also, a person picking up the slack--doing extra chores, working harder to supplement income, or revolving her life around a depressed person--can quickly become frustrated. If the situation is prolonged without change, or worsens, it leads to building frustrations.
Guilt
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Some family members, particularly, children may feel guilty as their loved one spirals down deeper into depression. A person is liable to begin blaming himself for his loved one's sadness and dissatisfaction. A child especially might wonder what he/she has done wrong to cause the depression. When attempts to cheer the depressed person up or help her out don't seem to improve the situation, the family member can feel even worse for letting his depressed loved one down and not helping.
Anger
- Frustration and guilt, if depression persists, can eventually turn into outright hostility. The healthy family member, who is tired of trying to improve the situation and of all the extra work he might be doing, begins to blame the depressed person. The family begins to feel the depressed person is being selfish, is not cooperating, and is the cause of all the problems. The family wants their lives back the way it was before depression, and may begin to feel intense anger towards the person they see as the cause.
Grief
- Eventually, after a member of the family has been depressed for a long time, her loved ones might go through a period of grief, as if there had been an actual death. Even though their depressed family member is not dead, they begin to miss the person they once enjoyed. In a way, it has been a loss, if the depressed person is no longer participating in conversations, celebrations and day-to-day activities, or if she seems to have become a different person entirely. Family members begin to mourn the loss of the person they remember, and grieve for that person.
Acceptance
- There comes a time when a family simply accepts the changes that have taken place in a depressed person, for better or for worse. If a family simply gives up, becomes distant, and ignores the depressed person's behaviour, the depression may go on for years, and continue worsening. The rift in the family defeated by depression may be irreparable. If, however, a family accepts that they can not do anything further for their depressed loved one and is successful in getting that loved one treatment, then the chance of the situation improving will increase
How might counselling help someone with Depression?
Counselling can help people to understand the underlying causes for their Depression such as earlier life events which may affect how you view yourself, or identifying patterns of behaviour which may add to the Depression. Counselling can help people to understand their own expectations of themselves which may be unrealistic or difficult to maintain and to find alternative ways of dealing with life's challenges. For many people with Depression the worst part is that they each feel that they are the only ones in the world feeling this way. Counselling can offer a safe non-judgemental space to help them to understand the underlying causes, find ways of coping and to find ways forward. People with Depression can deny themselves the very things that may help them, for example by withdrawing from those close to them, not attending appointments, or punishing themselves for their depressed feelings.
The length of counselling depends upon the nature and severity of the underlying issues. Everyone's circumstances, supports available and internal resources are different so the counsellor will try to work with each individual to develop an appropriate contract. It is important that reviews are built into this so that the client can have some control over the number and frequency of sessions.
Many agencies, NHS services, & EAPs offer a fixed number of sessions- normally, between 4 and 6, and the counsellor should make this clear at the beginning of the work. In some services it may be possible to extend these. If the counsellor has concerns that the number of sessions that are available may not be enough then he/she will discuss this with the client early on and make recommendations about other services that may be able to offer longer term work if this is what you need.
The impacts of depression on society
By 2020 depressive disorders are expected to be the second highest cause of disease burden worldwide. The blight of depression affecting hundreds of thousands of people across Britain and is costing the nation's ailing economy £8.6bn a year, £3bn more than a decade ago. Mental health workers are demanding more funds to attempt to turn around the rising cost to the country of the condition, which leads to lost of working hours, inefficiency and can cause long-term unemployment.
The cost of depression is up from £5.2bn in 1999, according to analysis carried out by the independent research service of the House of Commons Library. The rising
number of people prevented from working due to their poor mental health is thought to be on the increase. The figure does not include the heavy burden placed on the NHS by depression. The research predicts that the cost of GP consultations to treat depression amounted to more than £33m in 2007-08, while treating depression in hospitals cost another £218m.
Figures from the Department of health put the cost of NHS of anti-depressant drugs at £264.5m in 2009. Those out of work as a result of mental illnesses including depression are 70 per cent and are less likely to find their way back into full-time work. The Mental Health Foundation wants more money invested to promote a better awareness of depression so encouraging people to take preventative measures, such as exercise and setting aside time to deal with work-related stress.
"Depression can be a debilitating illness, affecting a person's ability to function. All people, whether or not they have experience of any forms of depression or anxiety should be helped to protect themselves against this common mental health disorders. Currently, only £4m of the £4.5bn of NHS adult mental health investment is spent on promoting good mental health – less than 0.1 per cent. If we invested more money to prevention rather than cure it would be advantageous for both the economy and society.
Aon reading a statement from the Department of Health in Jan 2010 it stated that they had spent extra money on projects in schools, businesses and through local authorities and social services to combat the amount of people falling victim to depression. However, they did admit it needed to do more to prevent the growing problem of adult depression.
Over the past 10 years the department of health has made great strides in transforming the way mental health including depression is dealt with, but they need to do more.
Thousands of people are still suffering and not receiving the proper treatment or support because services are being shut down. While the government is planning to increase CBT for people with mild to moderate depression, there are still thousands out there will more severe depression who continue to struggle without psychological support.
Depression Intervention
Determine whether an intervention is appropriate. Unless someone is suffering from a serious case of chronic depression, an intervention is unnecessary and a violation of that person's trust and privacy. To determine whether an intervention is necessary, a concerned friend or relative should look for these signs: engaging in risky or self-destructive behaviour, denial or masking of one's true feelings, unusually prolonged periods of despondence and/or anxiety, and, most importantly, expressing thoughts of suicide. If the person in question exhibits one or a combination of these symptoms, an intervention may be necessary to them get the help they requires.
Gather friends and family together in a place where the subject of the intervention will feel comfortable and safe. This person should be assured by everyone there that their primary concern and motivation is their well-being. In order them to realize that they needs help, it may be useful for them to be told how their condition has affected those around them; a depressed person has often not considered how their behaviour and/or mental state has affected their loved ones.
Make options readily available for the subject of the intervention to pursue treatment; for example, the person should be provided with a list of therapists who specialize in depression or a list of depression treatment centres and friends and family should offer help in making an appointment or setting up a treatment stay.
Maintain a positive, calm approach to however the subject reacts to the intervention. Getting excited, fighting, or yelling can escalate tensions and take away from the goal of the intervention---to help a depressed loved one see that she needs help. If the subject rejects the advice and support being offered or is defensive, friends and family should be calm and measured in their response and continue to be clear in both the fact that they believe the person is in serious need of treatment, but also that they love them unconditionally.