women are super...

[Hendra Susanto]

Depression seen more in women

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression due to their tendency to multi task, and because working mothers hold dual responsibilities, a psychiatrist said Thursday.

Women are born with the skill of being capable of doing more than one thing at a time, Suryo Dharmono of the University of Indonesia said. However, such an advantage can become unfavorable in urban society.

"If they undertake simple tasks it is no problem, but in urban life where people chase deadlines, multitasking can become stressful."

He said the prevalent inequality between women and men also caused depression.

"Most family-related decisions are made by men while those responsible for carrying them out are the wives. This is stressful ... if they disagree with the decision."

He said women, however, find a release from pressure by finding or creating their own communities and sharing their experiences, while men usually keep problems to themselves which leads to more cases of serious mental illness among men.

Suryo was speaking at a seminar organized by pharmaceutical company PT Wyeth Indonesia.

Data from WHO shows between 5 and 10 percent of people in the world suffer from depression.

The stigma of depression also discourages many sufferers from seeking help and affects the way they deal with the illness, Suryo said, as society tends to despise depressed people, saying it is a sign of weakness.

"We need to educate people that depression has nothing to do with laziness or weakness. It is a sign people have encountered their personal limit in solving a problem. We can say people are stuck when they show symptoms like chronic fatigue or weariness."

He said when such symptoms appear, it means people need to take a break, like a holiday or doing things they like, before attempting to tackle their problems effectively.

However, he said people with severe depression should consult an expert for proper treatment before their illness gets worse.

In some developed countries, people can seek treatment easily by calling hotline numbers advertised in buses or other public places, but Indonesia does not have such services, he said.

"We could set up a similar hotline service here. It would also serve to familiarize and educate people about depression," he said.

During the two-hour discussion the doctor said many sufferers first go to public clinics, which refer them to psychiatrists.

"Between 20 and 30 percent of public clinic patients suffering from headaches, gastric disorders and breathing difficulties were diagnosed with depression," Suryo said.

"Sometimes depressed people come to doctors with health complaints because they are reluctant to seek psychiatric help. The health complaint is not what they really want to talk about but they use it to release their anxiety." (lln)

[Elin]

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