Depression & Antidepressants

Many of my patients find it really hard to admit to symptoms of depression. But it's a particular issue with my older patients - they often talk about how depression was something to be ashamed of when they were young.

- Dr Sarah Jarvis

I'm on a mission to change that. Depression is every bit as much a "real" medical condition as appendicitis or a broken leg. It makes me so sad that people have to suffer in silence. I look back on the bad old days of "shell shock", or men in the war being shot for cowardice if they couldn't cope. In fact, pretty much every one of them was probably suffering from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, another very real medical condition), or both.

Nobody would be ashamed to admit they have angina. Yet all too often my patients don't feel able to talk about the huge impact depression has on their lives. That means they're less likely to speak to a doctor about it which, in turn, means they can miss out on effective treatment.

Depression is really common - and it has become more common since the pandemic. It now affects as many as 1 in 6 adults. Women are twice as likely as men to go through depression. Some of this may be down to hormonal changes but there's also no doubt that many women today shoulder more responsibilities than men. For instance, in the past, women traditionally kept the home and brought up the children while their husband looked after the finances and earnt the money. Today, far more women work, but all too often they're trying to juggle that with all their home responsibilities, too.

Depression is different from being a little bit miserable because your social plans have been postponed or your favourite football team has lost. We all feel low from time to time, but if you're depressed, it feels like you'll never get out of it.