The initial help seeking experiences of women with depression

Depression is the most common affective disorder in women and it is twice as common in females as in males. Research shows that the average amount of time it takes for people to seek initial treatment for depression is between 22 weeks to 150 weeks after the onset of symptoms.; The purpose of this study was to better understand the personal experiences which lead women to seek treatment for depression relatively soon after their symptoms begin. The three research questions addressed in this study are: (1) What factors influence women to seek help for their depression relatively soon after the appearance of initial symptoms? (2) What are the participants' perceptions of what treatment would entail? (3) What recommendations could be made to pharmaceutical companies and other health organizations which could increase patients' awareness of depression?; To better understand the phenomena in question, a qualitative study using grounded theory was conducted. After initial screening interviews via telephone, nine semi-structured interviews were conducted. Each interview was audio-taped and transcribed. The transcribed data were analyzed for significant themes using the open-coding method.; The research findings indicate that the major themes that emerged as a result of interviews are: the interviewees' understanding of affective, cognitive, and physical symptoms; gaining awareness; relationships; and uninformed decision-making. Findings suggest that the factor that most likely affects the participants to seek help is people who have or have had similar conditions.; The major concepts emerging from the results were: awareness of the stressor that led participants to seek help quickly, evaluation of options to control this stressor, and strategies they used to overcome the disease.; The four main recommendations that the researcher suggests are: (i) Women should seek people in their personal network who faced similar conditions. They should be able to identify people who could provide positive feedback and guidance; (ii) Healthcare professionals should change misconceptions of society about depression in general and enhance knowledge about mental illness detection and how to refer to the appropriate mental health services; (iii) Pharmaceutical industry should develop an integrated marketing communication program (IMC) communicating the same message to every customer touch point (e.g., physicians, pharmacists, patient's family members); (iv) Public health educators should promote awareness to patients by developing manuals or "survival kits" for self assessment, coping, and overcoming psychiatric disorders.