The public perception of depression in Spain

Abstract

Background. Depression is one of the main causes of disability worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the opinions of the Spanish population regarding this disease, its relation to suicide, its symptoms, the people who suffer from it, its causes, the professionals who treat it and antidepressant medication Methods. A questionnaire designed by experts was administered by phone to a representative sample of 1,700 people aged 18 and over in all Spanish autonomous communities using multistage sampling procedure, stratified by clusters, with a random selection of municipalities and population by sex, age and economic activity in a representative way at a national level. Results. Eighteen percent of the people surveyed said they had depression or had suffered from it previously, 86% thought of it is a disease and 85% considered it to be a cause of suicide. The most well-known symptoms (> 95%) were sadness and apathy. The people surveyed expressed certain stigmatizing attitudes towards people who suffer from it (60% unstability and 49% weakness). Most stated that the causes of this disease are of external origin (95% due to adverse life events), thought that a psychologist is a more appropriate health specialist for treating depression than a psychiatrist (47 vs. 29%) and that antidepressant medication generates dependency (72%) despite being effective (62%); 67% of depressed patients reported taking it. Conclusions. It is suggested that the relevant health administrations should conduct campaigns aimed at informing the public about the true nature of depression, to reduce stigmatizing attitudes and to clarify the efficacy and possible adverse effects of antidepressant medication.