This article is from page 4 of the 2008-09-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
A SOCIAL stigma continues to pre- vent people seeking help for depres- sion, according to a consultant psy- chiatrist based in Ennis.
Dr Moosajee Bhamjee said that while many people are more will- ing to seek help for mental illnesses, several others are hiding it from the public and are not getting the medi- cal assistance they require.
He said that from a genetic stand- point, if one person in a family suf- fers from depression there is a pro- pensity for at least one other person to also suffer, as genetics play a sig- nificant role.
‘There is a proneness to increased psychiatric illness. The risk is in- creased if the person is close to you, especially in schizophrenic and bi- polar conditions.
“Close families are at higher risk. That is why we do a family history with each individual and we ask these questions,’ he added.
“If a family member suffered from depression, we would ask what tablet
worked for that person and we may recommend it for the individual,’ he added.
He said it was up to the individual to tell medial personnel if a family member suffered from depression, but said there were stigmas affecting Webi
“This has decreased a little bit in that we talk about it now. Newspaper articles and magazines all talk about depression. However the stigma is contributing to people taking their own lives,” he said.
He said that while people generally seek help for depression more and more, a stigma prevents many others from doing so.
“People do not want to admit it. They feel they are letting themselves down,” he added.
However, many people are very much opposed to the idea of going into a psychiatric hospital, “even though they are depressed and sul- cidal.”