Robin Williams’ suicide has sparked a national conversation about depression.
Doctor David F. Gitlin is the vice chair of clinical services of the psychiatry department at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He joined NECN to discuss the importance of recognizing the illness and accepting help.
The American Psychological Association says five to eight percent of adults are affected by depression, meaning about 25 percent of Americans had a major episode of depression in 2013; however, only one half of these individuals received treatment.
Dr. Gitlin said even though depression is the leading cause of disability in the world, it still has a stigma.
“Even in this time, the 21st century, we still see depression from many people as seeing it as a weakness of character rather than an illness. No one would ever blame someone for having diabetes or heart disease and tell them to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, but in fact, we still see this happen all the time with depression and as a result, people are embarrassed about having this illness as if somehow they should just be able to snap out of it,” Dr. Gitlin explained.
Although depression rates are highest in men over 69, there is an alarmingly high increase in teen suicide, which is the third leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24.
Dr. Gitlin concluded byt saying the key to helping people with depression is helping them understand that the illness is not a weakness of character. 80 percent of people who seek treatment are successfully treated.
