Mental health problems, reduced income and unemployment are more common among people who live with a loved one diagnosed with depression.
- People living with a patient with depressive symptoms have low income and are more likely to be unemployed.
- Quality of life, mental and physical health are worse among adults living with a loved one suffering from depression.
- The authors emphasized “the importance of adequately treating depressive symptoms in adults and reducing the contagion effect on other members of their household.”
It is one of the most common mental illnesses. Worldwide, around 5% of adults suffer from depression. The effects of the symptoms of this mental illness on patients have often been examined, but their impact on households remains less explored. In one study, an international team of researchers assessed the health and economic impact of living with a loved one suffering from depression on all occupants of the same home in the United States.
Unemployment, drop in income: more risks among adults living with a depressed loved one
For the purposes of the work, published in the journal Journal of Affective Disorders, scientists tracked changes in the health, financial resources and quality of life of nearly 17,000 Americans. All participants answered a questionnaire including questions about their income, employment, health and other aspects.
According to the data, 1,699 healthy people lived with a loved one diagnosed with depression. The latter had, on average, a total annual income of $4,720 less than that of adults who did not live with patients suffering from depression. The authors calculated that this was an average 11.3% drop in income. Volunteers living with a depressed person were also less likely to be employed, missed more days of work per year and had a poorer quality of life.
Mental health: “the impact of depressive symptoms can extend beyond those affected”
Another finding: living with an adult affected by depression was linked to poor results on mental and physical health assessment tests. “These results indicate that the impact of depressive symptoms may extend beyond those affected, imposing a burden on other adults in their household. (…) They confirm the importance of adequate treatment of depressive symptoms in adults. adults and the reduction of the contagion effect on other members of their household”, said Paul Greenberg, lead author of the study, in a statement.
