Depression Predictors Among Women

Depression is a well-known cause of poor mental health in Singapore. According to Professor K. Satku of the Singapore Ministry of Health, depression is considered a major problem among the adult population. Women are more prone to suffer from it than men, not only in Singapore but throughout the world. Discover some of the reasons behind this proclivity, thanks to a recent study published in The Diabetes Educator in the United States.

What is Depression?

Depression is a feeling of sadness, hopelessness, discouragement, and despair that goes on for more than a few days and interferes with a person’s ability to function normally in everyday life. A depressed mood afflicts everyone from time to time, but is usually short-lived. Clinical depression is like a dark cloud that perpetually hangs over the sufferer’s head, or like heavy weights drawing them deeper into darkness every day.

Depression Statistics in Singapore

According to SingHealth.com, the annual prevalence rate for the condition is 0.80-5.8%, with lifetime prevalence anywhere between 1.5-16.4%. According to a 2004 study, Singapore’s rate is about 5%. In 2010, the Singapore National Mental Health Survey reported a higher 6.3% lifetime prevalence for adult depression in Singapore. For every man with depression, there are two women who suffer from it, setting the gender ratio at 2:1.

About the Study

According to the study “Predictors of Depression among Adult Women with Diabetes in the United States,” there are several elements that make a women more susceptible to depression. The study sample consisted of about 9 million woman older than twenty, living in the United States between the years of 2007 and 2012. Of those women, 19% were diagnosed with clinical depression. In addition, 1.7 million of those women had depression comorbidity, which means that another psychiatric condition was also involved, usually an anxiety disorder.

Pain and Poor Health

While some of the factors that affected the American women may differ for women in Singapore, many of the potential indicators remain globally consistent. For example, the study revealed that women with poor health were at significant risk for developed depression. If a woman suffers from frequent pain or discomfort, caused by diabetes or some other chronic illness, she is more likely to sink into the kind of perpetual sadness and hopelessness that depression brings.

Lack of Activity

In many cases, the pain, discomfort, and other symptoms of poor health kept the study participants from doing normal activities and enjoying their everyday lives. As a result, many of these women developed comorbid depression. When it comes to mental health in Singapore, research shows that a lack of exposure to nature and green space, coupled with a lack of physical exercise, can definitely contribute to the onset of depression.

Little Education

Women who did not have much education were also shown to be at higher risk for depression and comorbidity. This may be because the women did not feel empowered to improve their life situation or make their lives better in any tangible way. Less education usually goes along with lower-paying jobs, which indicates financial stress, leading to depression.

Treatment Options

Do you recognize any of these risk factors in yourself or in someone you know? Contact a psychiatrist in Singapore right away and address the possibility of depression before it becomes too severe. Any one of our well-trained, caring psychiatrists at the Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic would be glad to do an evaluation with you and guide you along the path back to better mental health and a more satisfying life.