MORE STUDIES ON WHY PEOPLE OFTEN DON’T GET HELP FOR DEPRESSION

With so many teens and adults suffering from depression, it’s not an easy question as to why many don’t seek help. Yet there are many reasons why people suffering from depression don’t get help. Forbes reports that “a staggering number of people around the world live with depression…if this weren’t striking enough, it turns out that even fewer people are getting treated for it than previously thought.”

Forbes cites a study from the Journal of General Internal Medicine that says that out of people that are diagnosed with depression, “only about a third get treatment.” And this doesn’t just skew younger. The numbers of people seeking help are reportedly even lower for minorities and older people.

But beyond statistics, the question is why don’t people seek help when they need it. As Forbes continues, “One reason may be that even when diagnosed, people may be so resistant to the idea that they have depression, because of lingering stigma or a lack of information about what depression actually is, that they may choose not to get treated.” And again, many cite the stigma behind depression as one of the biggest stumbling blocks to people getting help. As an author says, “People often feel embarrassed, ashamed, or that it is their own fault that they are depressed. For these reasons they may not want to acknowledge that they are depressed, or seek treatment.”

Of course there can be many whys people don’t get help when they need it, and the numbers could be even higher because many with depression don’t come forward and acknowledge they suffer from it. Yet there’s still great hope that the stigma will eventually wear down more and more, making people more eager to get help when needed.