New survey highlights overwhelming demand for access to depression prevention programmes for people in Scotland
Press release - June 2010.
Preventing Depression is Everybody’s Business
- Survey shows that taking control of your own mood is vital to preventing depression
- Depression Alliance Scotland launches “Mood Matters” campaign to raise awareness of options that people can do to improve their mood and assist in the prevention of depression
- 93% of people would be willing to take part in a depression prevention programme
Depression Alliance Scotland asked over 600 adults in Scotland about the prevention of depression. The survey results are published today alongside the launch of a new “Mood Matters” campaign to mark National Depression Week 2010.
89% of survey respondents believed that in some cases it was possible to prevent depression. When asked who should be responsible for making this happen, people highlighted a range of groups. Everyone has a role in creating wellbeing.
People clearly recognise this, with 79% agreeing that society as a whole has a responsibility to prevent depression. People were asked what interventions they felt would be best for preventing new cases of depression.
Respondents recognised that supporting vulnerable groups of people like new mothers and people who were unemployed might prevent depression. Importantly people also picked free or low cost activities like exercise, access to green space and healthy eating as beneficial.
Minister for Public Health Shona Robison said:
“National Depression Week is a great opportunity to raise awareness and help address the stigma associated with experiencing depression.
“The Scottish Government is committed to raising awareness of depression through partner organisations such as Depression Alliance Scotland, ‘Breathing Space’ and ‘see me’, as well as looking at ways to prevent depression.
“Across all areas of public health, not just mental health, we are committed to improving the wellbeing of our nation. That means supporting measures that prevent ill health, as well as providing appropriate treatment to people who are ill.”
Ilena Day, Chief Executive explains:
“It is important to realise that given the opportunity we can all take responsibility for addressing early signs of stress and depression to help us to feel better, cope better, and live better.
"In hard financial times it is more important than ever to assist people with depression to recover, and to work where possible to prevent the episodes of poor mental health we can all experience becoming more serious episodes of depression.
"It is well known that at least one in four adults will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives. For many people, depression is likely to be the mental health problem with which they are most familiar and most likely to experience or come into contact with. In 2008/9 some 7% of GP-Registered patients in Scotland were diagnosed with an initial episode of depression, accounting for around 400,000 consultations.(1)
"Against the backdrop of recession, it is vital that services think about how best to deliver effective support to reduce impact of low mood and depression on our ability to be healthy and productive. Investing in people’s own abilities to manage mood could well be a cost effective way of empowering people and working smarter to reduce the level of need for more complicated and expensive services".
References
Find out more
Visit the Mood Matters microsite or find out about our other campaigns or our services for people with depression.