24.3% OF YOUNG PEOPLE SAID THEY WERE SAD, VERY SAD OR NOT HAPPY WHEN ASKED TO REPORT HOW HAPPY THEY WERE WITH THEIR LIFE AS A WHOLE [3]
MALES COMPRISED 76.9% OF AUSTRALIAN SUICIDE DEATHS FOR 2010 [1]
50% OF PEOPLE WHO DEVELOP A DEPRESSIVE DISORDER WILL DO SO BEFORE THE AGE OF 30 [2]
​SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION
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Feeling bad about yourself​
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Changes in sleep patterns
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Changes in appetite or weight
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Feeling overwhelmed by pessimism, anger, guilt, irritability and anxiety
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Varying emotions throughout the day for example, feeling worse in the morning and better as the day progresses
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Not able to enjoy life
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Not so interested in sex
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Reduced pain tolerance: decreased tolerance for minor aches and pains
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Poor concentration and memory
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Low motivation to do things that used to matter to you
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Feeling exhausted
THE HARD TRUTH
1. The Australian Senate (2010). The Hidden Toll: Suicide in Australia Report of the Senate Community Affairs References Committee. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.
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2. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National
Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 593-602.
3. Mission Australia youth survey 2013 p 25
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION ESTIMATES THAT DEPRESSION WILL BE THE NUMBER ONE HEALTH CONCERN IN BOTH THE DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING NATIONS BY 2030
Depression is one of the most common health issues in Australia.
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Clinical depression is an illness, a medical condition. It significantly affects the way someone feels, causing a persistent lowering of mood. Depression is often accompanied by a range of other physical and psychological symptoms that can interfere with the way a person is able to function in their everyday life.
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Things are not so simple with depression as there are a number of possible causes. Some people have a genetic predisposition to depression, which can be triggered by a stressful situation in life, such as loss or stress. It can also be caused as part of an illness like bipolar disorder.
Depression affects how people feel about themselves. They may lose interest in work, hobbies and doing things they would normally enjoy. They may lack energy, have difficulty sleeping or sleep more than usual. Some people feel irritable, and some find it hard to concentrate. Depression makes it more difficult to manage from day to day.
In one year, around one million people in Australia experience depression[1]. One in five women and one in eight men will experience depression at some time in their life.[1] The good news is that just like a physical illness, depression is treatable and effective treatments are available. The sooner a person with depression seeks support, the sooner they can recover.
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1. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2008). National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results, 2007. Cat. no. (4326.0). Canberra: ABS.
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