A growth in medically diagnosed depression in Portugal is highest for men between 55 and 64-years old, according to a newly released study.
New cases are up for both men and women as the long-running economic crisis takes its toll. Women in a younger age bracket, between 45 and 54-years old, are now most at risk according to a study by the National Institute of Health.
The study concludes that there has been a coincidence between the increase in the annual incidence of first episodes of depression and the worsening social and economic conditions in Portugal. No surprises there but the research evidence should allow the Ministry of Health properly to fund treatment.
Led by researcher Ana Paula Rodrigues, depression was studied in 2004, and again in 2012 as the crisis worsened. Clearly things had got worse in the economy, especially in family settings, increasing the pressure and risks associated with sufferers of depressive illnesses.
“What is needed is to continue to keep this issue under surveillance" says Rodrigues whose study explains that depression affects nearly four times more women than men. This ratio has remained stable but the age groups show a changing pattern with young patients between 15 and 24-years old showing a welcome drop in new cases, but women sufferers between 45 and 54-years old and over 75-years old show a considerable growth.
