Depression In Australia Research Paper

Depression is “a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendancies”. (Merriam-Webster, unknown). It is important to understand the effects of depression amongst young people, as it is a large problem in Australia. Depression effects on in sixteen Australians aged 16-24 (BeyondBlue, unknown), and the largest killer of the Australian youth is suicide (BeyondBlue, unknown). Depression can be broken down into smaller sections, and they are; the way it effects young people, the prevalence of depression, the consequences it brings upon

In the general population, 6 in 10 men and 5 in 10 women will experience a traumatic event which will lead into unstable habits, resulting in restricted physical activity. These restrictions in physical activities are linked with fear. In the recent years, researchers such as Campbell et al. (2008), Follette et al. (1996), Hoge et al. (2007) and Wagner et al. (2000) have concluded that there are physical health impacts a person can present from traumatic events (namely, combat exposure, sexual assault or natural disaster). The Australian Defence Force states that in 2010, approximately 90% of the ADF and 73% of Australian citizens have been affected by at least one traumatic event (Australian Government, unknown).Brewin, Andrews and Valentine (2000) informs that multiple traumatic events induce stronger neural signals on the brain. Campbell et al. (2008) and Hoge et al. (2007) highlight that somatic disorder is interrelated from these strong neural signals on the brain in emerging data in traumatic events and physical health.

At the individual level, lack of proper treatment for poor mental health and mental illness has a detrimental effect. At a population level, society also suffers from the burden resulting from the lack of treatment options for poor mental health and mental illness, due to loss of productivity from those crippled by poor mental health and mental illness. Evidence has begun to emerge showing that lack of treatment for mental illness -specifically depressive disorders - has been linked “with increased prevalence of chronic diseases.” Currently it is estimated about 26% of adults in the United States suffer from depression.

Depression is a mental disorder in which a patient might feel intense, prolonged, negative emotions (Beyond Blue, 2014). This can have severe impact on a person's mental and physical health, thus affecting a person's quality of life. Severe cases can even lead to suicide. It is estimated that one in six Australians will experience depression in their lifetime (Beyond Blue, 2014). The burden of disease gives an indication of of the loss of health and well being of Australians due to each disease (ABS, 2010). Depression and anxiety is the leading cause of burden among females, accounting for 10% of burden while it is the third leading cause for men, accounting for 4.8% (AIHW, 2003) (This was the most recent information found).

Mental illness is as ruthless as it is unforgiving. Those who are victims to it often are unnoticed and feel shamed for existing under its control. Depression is a disease which, according to the Black Dog Institute, affects one in seven Australians in their lifetime, but it is one which fails to be successfully addressed in society, plausibly due to the prevalence of stigmatisation. The stigma associated with mental illness often prevents people from seeking professional treatment and while mental health activists and professionals promote the stigma of mental illness to be one which is diminishing in society, it still remains a condition with extremely concerning repercussions.

The term "mental illness" refers to a wide range of disorders that affect one's mood, thinking, and behaviour. Depression is among the most common mental illnesses (Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, 2009). Depression is much more than simple unhappiness, it can be defined as an intense feeling of sadness and worthlessness that lasts for more than two weeks and for most of one's day. Symptoms include lack of motivation, difficulty concentrating, as well as many other symptoms which can have repercussions socially, professionally, and in other significant areas of one's life (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2012). According to Health Canada (2009), twenty-seven percent of Canadians will experience depression in the course

The definition of health and illness varies across societies due to their differing cultural, social and ethnic beliefs. The description associated with health and illness has been socially constructed so that the view of a medical profession is the most accurate. There is a general conception to think of health habits such as exercise and consuming a healthy diet when the terms health and illness are mentioned. However it is thought that the conditions that determine health changes are heavily based on one’s social conditions as it is seen that diseases occur in patterns. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) “health is a complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.” Social

Mental illness is a popular ill among all ages of people, it can happen in kids, adult or in senior. In fact, 20% of Canadians will personally experience in their lifetime (Canada Mental Health Association, n.d.). But all among of those mental illness we’re going to talk about depression. Depression is an extremely complex disease and it can be really bad especially for people who are expected to focus during class, be confident and social outside of school, and successfully plan their futures, depression it can be devastating for these people. Even mental experts have a belief that’s teens suffering from untreated depression are up to 12 times more likely to commit suicide (Marsico, 2012, p16). The main purpose of making this report is to

The 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing Results revealed that at some stage in their lives, up to 45% of Australians will experience a mental illness, with 20% of the Australians surveyed in the 16-85 age group having experienced a mental illness within the 12 months preceding the survey

According to Black Dog Institute (2012), one in seven Australians will experience depression in their lifetime meaning, depression has a high lifetime prevalence. In Australia, depression is the third largest burden of disease (13.3%). It also is the third largest globally. It is responsible for the greatest proportion of burden attributable to non-fatal outcomes, accounting for nearly 12% of total years lived with disability worldwide (WHO, 2005). In Australia it is also the largest cause of non-fatal disability with 24%. These figures show that on average, people with depression live with disability for a longer number of years than people suffering other non-fatal diseases such as dementia and hearing loss. (Black Dog Institute, 2012)

Slavich and Irwin (2014) state that depression and stress are usually due to a major life stressor, such as death or social rejection. Personal loss disrupts personal bonds and can induce intense distress. The research by Slavich and Irwin

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, “Nearly three million Australians live with depression and/or anxiety, which affects their wellbeing, personal relationships, career and productivity”. It is true that the real definition of depression is skewed amongst those in society. Some chose to believe that depression is a normal reaction to life’s stresses, like losing a loved one, getting fired from a job, going through a divorce, and other difficult situations, and that only when these feelings come without reason and persist long term should it be seen as a serious concern. Others believes that depression is no more than a sad feeling that is ignorable, only revealed to people for the sake of attention and the care that comes from pity and sympathy. Personally, I believe that depression is a scientifically proven mental illness, and as it dramatically alters one’s self and has become prevalent in society, it should be discussed with the gravity and urgency deserved to such a pressing topic.

The article “The health-related quality of life burden of co-morbid cardiovascular disease and major depressive disorder in Australia: findings from a population-based, cross-sectional study”, was written by Adrienne O’Neil (PhD in Public Health, Faculty member, Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, Monash University), Christopher E. Stevenson (PhD in Health Economics, Deakin University, Faculty

It mainly focuses on the results of the attitude, prevention and barriers of public. The depression issue has always been neglected by the public and the government in Australia, it is a good starting point to understand how Australian think of depression, how the related association like Ministry of Health (MOH) in Australia to improve or help the depression problem happened in Australia. This journal report helps me to formulate the opinions of Australian toward depression and provide me information to bring up the depression problem in Australia.

After translating the collected data into facts and studying the association between the variables, the hypotheses were tested. It was found that the data analysis procedures to be appropriate to help answer the hypotheses. However, it was found there was mixed evidence for the first hypotheses, which was concerning tripartite models structure. The data supported the other two hypotheses (Fox et al., 2010).