According to data from the World Health Organization, nearly 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression. How can we help those with depression recover as quickly as possible?
More than 10 years ago, a large antidepressant study in the United States called the CO-MED found that 52% of patients with depression improved after 12 weeks of antidepressant treatment (about 38% were able to eliminate symptoms). Patients who took only one antidepressant did not recover any differently than those who took two. In addition, a significant discovery is that the socioeconomic status of patients with depression has a decisive impact on their recovery progress. Let’s say patient A is white, has a job, has received higher education, and his income belongs to the highest quarter group in society; Conversely, patient B is not white, has lost his job, has no higher education, and his income belongs to the lowest quarter group in society. The study found that Patient B’s recovery from depression would progress 26% less than Patient A’s.
This study has important implications for our society on how to help those with depression embark on the road to recovery: even if they have seen a doctor and taken antidepressants regularly (both of which are very important), patients with depression still need other help to cope with the difficulties faced in daily life, including unemployment, schooling, and poor health knowledge, the discrimination and exclusion suffered by marginalized people, and the harsh living environment derived from poverty, etc. Financial assistance, vocational training, educational opportunities, various social supports, and the elimination of public discrimination against mental illness are all essential conditions for patients with depression to successfully recover.
Therefore, if you want to help a friend, colleague, or family member suffering from depression to recover as soon as possible, in addition to reminding the patient to seek medical treatment and take medication regularly, you also need to care about how the person is doing in their daily life and lend a helping hand to improve their lives, including in the areas of finance, employment, and social connections.
When patients with depression live in a more comfortable environment, receive more support and tolerance at work and education, and have someone to accompany and listen to them, it will surely reduce their depression, loneliness, worry, and the pain caused by low self-esteem.
Written by: Dr. William Chui
Originally posted on: HKEJ Health
Translated by: Cheuk Long Chan
