Comparing suffering may stop people seeking help for depression and anxiety - Workplace Wellness Blog by Wellergize

		Workplace Wellness Programs: Prevention, Recognition, Assistance.

Blog Overview Blogger Profiles Event Calendar You can also visit our other sites: EmployeeWellness.ca WellnessFair.ca Workplace Wellness Info on NaturalHealthcare.ca	\| Share: \| more Comparing suffering may stop people seeking help for depression and anxiety People make inaccurate judgements about their depression and anxiety symptoms based on their perception of the suffering of those around them From the University of Warwick media release: People's judgements about whether they are depressed depend on how they believe their own suffering "ranks" in relation to the suffering of friends and family and the wider world, according to a new study. Research from the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick finds that people make inaccurate judgements about their depression and anxiety symptoms -- potentially leading to missed diagnoses as well as false positive diagnoses of mental health problems. This is of particular concern as vulnerable individuals surrounded by people with mental health problems may decide not to seek help because, compared to those around them, they perceive their suffering to be less severe than it actually is. Conversely, those surrounded by people who feel depressed very rarely may incorrectly believe that their suffering is abnormal, simply because their symptoms appear to be more severe in comparison to others. Researchers performed two experiments which found that people's judgments of whether they were depressed or anxious were not mainly predicted by their symptoms' objective severity -- but by where they ranked that severity compared with their perception of others' symptoms. The study showed that participants' beliefs about the distribution of symptoms in the wider population varied greatly. For example ten per cent of participants thought that half the population felt depressed on at least 15 days a month, and ten per cent thought they felt so on two days or fewer a month. Ten per cent of participants thought that half the population felt anxious on at least 26 days a month, whereas ten per cent thought they felt so on seven days or fewer. Lead researcher Karen Melrose from the University of Warwick said: "It is the patient that initiates most GP consultations about depression and anxiety, so that personal decision to see a doctor is a vital factor in determining a diagnosis. "Given that fact, our study may explain why there are such high rates of under and over-detection of depression and anxiety. "Worryingly, people who could be the most vulnerable to mental health disorders -- for example those from certain geographical areas of the country or demographic groups where depression and anxiety are high -- could be the very ones who are at highest risk of missed diagnoses. "This research could help health professionals better target information campaigns aimed at these groups." The paper, "Am I Abnormal? Relative Rank and Social Norm Effects in Judgements of Anxiety and Depression Symptom Severity" was published in the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making. Posted by: danica on 2012-05-09 11:17:17 Subscribe to the feed Direct Link to this post Next post: Study examines impact of workplace, financial stress on health behaviours 2013-06-18 10:48:12 Other posts tagged diagnosis, depression, anxiety, mental health: · [Depression indicators predict work disabilty more than disease activity or response to therapy] · [Inability to express emotions causes delays in seeking treatment for heart attack] · [Study suggests workplace stress poses risk to health] · [Emotional responses to the stresses of daily life may predict long-term mental health] · [Study suggests job burnout can severely compromise heart health] · [Study suggests work-life balance issues affect single workers as much as those with families] · [Stress symptoms in midlife predict old-age disability] · [Study suggests powerful people tend to be better at shaking off rebuffs] · [Resident fatigue, stress trigger motor vehicle incidents] · [Workplace bullying ups risk of prescriptions for anxiety, depression, insomnia] · [Shifting the safety balance for overnight workers] Don't forget: there is a search box on every page! Recent Posts: Study examines impact of workplace, financial stress on health behaviours Studies highlight the negative impact workplace and financial stress can have on health behaviours Posted by: danica on 2013-06-18 10:48:12 Study suggests higher-activity jobs tied to sleep extremes Workers in jobs that are more physically demanding tend to be either shorter sleepers (fewer than 6 hours a night) or longer sleepers (longer than 9 hours) Posted by: danica on 2013-06-17 10:10:36 Depression indicators predict work disabilty more than disease activity or response to therapy Focus on well-being could keep patients with arthritis in workforce, when a single depression statement identified those patients more likely to request disability pension Posted by: danica on 2013-06-14 09:48:21 Universal paid sick leave reduces spread of flu Universal access to paid sick days would reduce flu cases in the workplace by nearly 6% and estimated it to be more effective for small, compared to large, workplaces Posted by: danica on 2013-06-14 09:11:22 Study links workplace daylight exposure to sleep, activity, and quality of life Day-shift office workers quality of life and sleep may be improved via emphasis on light exposure and lighting levels in current offices as well as in the design of future offices Posted by: danica on 2013-06-13 11:48:44 View Your Cart? Call us for more information: In Toronto and Area call 647.723.6381 or call 1.866.395.8904 Toll-free. Dial answer group (ext) 3. \| Share: \| more Check out our Amazon Reading List!	Who has used Wellergize Products and Services? O.L.G., for one. Ask us how we can help your organization. Tweets by @wellergize
Wellergize™ is a division of Natural Healthcare Canada - the Canadian reference for Complementary and Alternative Health care. © 2013 pixcode. all rights reserved. Wellergize™ Workplace Wellness Programs: Prevention, Recognition, Assistance.