A brand new study from Indiana University Researchers, published in JAMA Network Open, shows that — for the first time — there has been a significant reduction in the percentage of Americans who express an unwillingness to interact with people they know have major depression.
In other words, the data (covering the years 2006-2018) suggests that social rejection of those with major depression is finally dropping.
Oh, thank you, Lord.
This follows another encouraging trend.
From 1996-2006, in another first, Americans increasingly believed depression was either caused by genetics or brain disruptions, as opposed to moral defects.
So since 1996, we’ve seen two encouraging trends.
First, more now think depression is more likely to be caused by medical and not moral issues.
True, and life-changing.
And second, more are now willing to accept and engage with those suffering from major depression.
This is just wonderful.
Major credit goes to scientists for their fantastic research revealing the medical component of the disease, as well as to influential and unbelievably brave celebrities, sports stars, spiritual leaders, and ordinary people for risking careers and friendships by opening up about their depression.
Social media is a toxic wasteland, but a lot of de-stigmatizing has been going on via social media, and so for at least that, kudos.
As you might guess, stigma was correlated to age group.
In general, the older you are, the more likely you are to stigmatize depression by boiling it down to moral defects, and avoid interacting with those who reveal their depression.
Interestingly, there was an exception to the conservatizing effect of age.
Those born before World War II were more progressive in their attitudes towards depression, and the authors speculated that it might be due to their childhood traumas provoking more empathy.
Now… the sad results, which highlight that there’s a lot of work to be done.
Levels were unchanged for other mental illnesses, and stigma towards those afflicted with schizophrenia and alcohol dependency actually increased.
Americans were less likely to engage and more likely to associate violence with those diagnosed with schizophrenia.
(That is perhaps further evidence that we might need to relabel schizophrenia, as both Japan and South Korea have done).
So that’s definitely a challenge we need to take on.
But the shifting attitudes towards depression is groundbreaking.
It is based on fundamental truth.
It will relieve guilt.
It will encourage more to seek treatment.
And most of all, it will save lives.
About 13 years ago, I walked into a student health center to look for help with my depression.
Just as I was about to enter the section, partitioned for treatment for those with mental health, I saw a friend nearby.
He would have been enormously supportive and understanding, and yet I still took an abrupt turn and never walked in.
I should have.
And far too many have done exactly what I did. Fear got the better of the fear and despair we needed treatment for.
And yet now, as stigma diminishes, more people are walking through those doors, and finding life inside.
It would be awesome to see how attitudes are changing in the church, because anecdotally, they certainly seem to be.
But statistical confirmation and all the attendant publicity it would receive, could help even further.
Find a psychiatrist here.
Find a therapist here.
[Photo: From the movie, The Red Balloon]
