Prevalence and burden of depression in Australia
This paper aims to analyse the burden and impact of public health issues including the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on the health issue, and health promotion and prevention strategies. Hence, this paper focuses on the prevalence, burden, and impact of depression in Australia.
Mental health problem is the major problem in Australia with 20% or 4.8 million individuals with mental and behavioural condition (ABS, 2018). According a report prevalence of mental health problems are higher in females (30%) compared to men with 21% (AIHW, 2021). Depression is the most common mental health problem and has the third-highest burden of all diseases with 13% of people with depression and women are the higher risk of depression. The prevalence of depression was higher in women in 2018 with 11.6% compared to men with 9.1% (ABS, 2018). Biological and socioeconomic factors or SDOH are associated with the high prevalence of depression among females; for example, intense hormonal changes, economic condition, and gender biases that leads to discrimination or violence; therefore, the target group for mental health promotion and prevention is the female mostly older adults. It has become a leading cause of disability in Australia where 3.2 million people are suffering from an anxious condition (ABS, 2018). Research shows that most of the death from suicide is associated with mental health conditions or depression in Australia; for example, in 2018, there were a total of 3046 deaths with an average of 8 death per day (AIHW). It does not only include the burden of health; however, responsible to increase the economic burden, people who have depression are more likely to have other illnesses due to lifestyle, lack of nutrients, and inadequate diet, similarly, they have a high risk of hospital admission due to both physical and mental health conditions (Scofield et al., 2019).
SDOH are the factors that affect the health and wellbeing of individuals or communities and influence the health problem and its distribution in the society; these factors include living conditions, environment, social-economic status such as class, education, income, and cultural factors. The mental health of an individual has a higher impact on education, income, and network including social support (Pearson et al., 2020). Cultural background also affect the metal health of individuals as people from different backgrounds are at higher risk of experiencing stress, isolation, and discrimination that leads to substance use, and mental health conditions (Ziersch et al., 2020). Depression has influences of living conditions and the environment; for example, Australian communities living in remote areas are more likely to have depression compared to other populations. Similarly, Ziersch et al. (2020), argue that the distribution of depression is also influenced by race, and cultural factors; for example, Indigenous Australian has a long history even before the colonization that was responsible to increase their trauma. The loss of land and cultural identity is associated with intergenerational trauma; hence, the prevalence of depression is high among Indigenous people. Education is one of the other reasons triggering depression in Australian communities; migrants, and other remote communities who have low education are more vulnerable to mental health problems including depression (Shen et al., 2018).
Impact of social determinants of health on depression
Income has a significant association with mental health issues in Australia; for example, low-income communities, or workers such as farmers have less income and more burden who acquire depression and involve in suicides (Isaacs et al., 2018). Lifestyle factors such as sleep, eating habits, smoking, and alcohol consumption also affect the development of depression. People who consume alcohol become more vulnerable’ for example, it has been found that alcohol reduces the level of serotonin and norepinephrine which are responsible to regular the mood of individuals, they may feel better using the alcohol; however, alcohol reduces the level of these two substances which can make a depressed person more depressed. The prevalence of alcohol-associated depression is also high in Australia (Handley et al., 2019). In addition to this, social factors also contribute to increase the burden of depression in Australia; for example, social problems such as the death of a close friend or loved ones, relative, or a traumatic event increase stress and anxiety among youth that further develop depression (Ogbo et al., 2018).
Considering the fact that socioeconomic factors influence depression and risk for all individuals the strategy that can be implemented is the “Education and prevention across the life span” that focuses on the health promotion and prevention at different levels to reduce the burden of depression from Australia community. The prevention across the life span also includes health promotion to increase public awareness, prevention of illness by planning, and early intervention to control the risk. Individuals are at risk of depression at any age due to various reasons; hence, strategies need to be implemented at each level. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the awareness and education of people at different stages including in school education, workplaces, and communities. Children also acquire depression in a traumatic situation or in a particular environment; however, the education given in the school regarding depression can increase their awareness, and they may find opportunities to stay away from the problem (Herrman et al., 2022). Due to the complicated situation and stressful environments workplaces have become the source of depression; however, when education and strategies are implemented at the organizational level it can foster a better environment for workers. Employers can provide opportunities for workers to reduce workplace stress through different activities, playas, and exercises. Similarly, education could give at the community level to increase the public awareness of the depression and proving them the information that would help them to manage the issue at the individuals level (Davey & McGorry, 2019).
Apart from education, another strategy that can be implemented is a change in lifestyle. Living style and living environment are one of the major factors triggering this problem in Australia. The lifestyle of individuals includes various activities that are further linked to depression; for example, alcohol and substance use increase the risk of depression. Government should implement strategies to reduce the consumption of alcohol and substance use by issuing policies that can restrict the sale and consumption (Kim et al., 2018). Similarly, other lifestyle factors are exercise, and diet which can affect the mental well-being of an individual. Therefore, to reduce the burden of depression, it is recommended to improve the eating habit by focusing on nutrient and fluid intake, and involve in physical activities. Physical activities improve mobility as well as the mental well-being of individuals. It has been found that depression improves when people improve their lifestyle, therefore, the Australian government has funded various policies to reduce the burden of depression by improving the lifestyles of people (Kim et al., 2018). The “Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan” aims to prevent suicide and improve the lifestyle of people, Similarly, “Vision 2030” is another program supported by the government to reduce the burden of depression (Department of Health, 2022).
References
ABS. (2018). Mental Health. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/mental-health/mental-health/latest-release
AIHW. (2022). Suicide & self-harm monitoring data. https://www.aihw.gov.au/suicide-self-harm-monitoring/data/suicide-self-harm-monitoring-data
AIHW. (2021). Mental Illness. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/mental-illness
Department of Health. (2022). What we’re doing about mental health. https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/mental-health-and-suicide-prevention/what-were-doing-about-mental-health
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Schofield, D., Cunich, M., Shrestha, R., Tanton, R., Veerman, L., Kelly, S., & Passey, M. (2019). Indirect costs of depression and other mental and behavioural disorders for Australia from 2015 to 2030. BJPsych open, 5(3).
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Ziersch, A., Miller, E., Baak, M., & Mwanri, L. (2020). Integration and social determinants of health and wellbeing for people from refugee backgrounds resettled in a rural town in South Australia: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1-16.
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