Someone You Know Is Suffering..........

Clinical Depression affects 1in 10 in Australia - 1 in 6 in the USA.

Most will have to see between 4 & 10 doctors before they are properly diagnosed.

Of those with Depression who are misdiagnosed, 1 in 5 will attempt suicide.  20% of those will succeed.

Gay Men  & Lesbians experience Environmental Depression - depression caused by ones life environment - at a rate 4 times that of their Heterosexual counterparts.

Depression is mostly organic - that is hereditary - as are most mental illnesses.

Depression can also be episodic - directly caused by a life episode eg...

• Infection of HIV / diagnosis of a terminal illness
• Death of loved one
• Loss of a job
• Betrayal / disassociation by a partner
• Bullying
• Major Illness

Those with Manic Depression - also known as Biploar Disorder - live with an illness often described as "Periods of sanity interrupted by periods of a chaotic horror that can not be adequately described" - Few Manic Depressives who attempt suicide survive.

Those with Depression are often shunned by friends / family and often referred to as "Needy / High Maintenance / Attention Seeking / Precious /  Difficult".  When the individual attempts to explain their feelings, they are often ridiculed and/or told such phrases as "Don't be silly" - "Toughen Up" - "Why can't you be 'easier'?"

Those with Depression are 4 times as likely to engage in some form of patterned behaviour such as excessive alcohol intake, high levels of promiscuity, higher recreational drug use (most commonly marijuana and/or speed).

Few doctors are trained in Depression and patients often report that they have been informed by their doctor to "Get a hobby and try to keep yourself occupied".

By the time you have finished reading this - 1 person in Australia will have committed suicide - 10 people in America will have committed suicide.