The Patients Guide to Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression
July 4, 2007
INTRODUCTION
Chronic Depression: Disease or Charcter Flaw?
May 25, 2007
A major survey on depression symptoms from the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), released in july 2001, revealed a dramatic degree of progress in public understanding. Yet even amid this promising trend, the survey sheds light on the difficulties faced by millions of people striving to manage this sometimes chronic, life-long illness.
The NMHA survey shows a major shift in public opinion in the last decade about the cause of depression. A majority (55 percent) of those polled who have never been diagnosed with depression symptoms understand depression is a disease, and not "a state of mind that a person can snap out of." In 1991, only 38 percent recognized depression as an illness.
The survey also sketches a troubling portrait of the socio-economic lives of some people with depression symptoms. Survey respondents with depression symptoms reported higher levels of unemployment and divorce than respondents who don’t have the disorder.
"We set out to get a snapshot of the state of depression and its treatment," said Michael M. Faenza, president and CEO of the NMHA. "The good news is that there is greater public understanding of depression and that people living with depression are finding substantial relief by following their treatment plans. The challenging part is understanding the degree to which public perceptions impact those in treatment," said Faenza.
