Journal article
Beliefs of people taking antidepressants about causes of depression and reasons for increased prescribing rates
John Read, Claire Cartwright, Kerry Gibson, Christopher Shiels, Nicholas Haslam
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS | ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV | Published : 2014
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Public beliefs about the causes of mental health problems are related to desire for distance and pessimism about recovery, and are therefore frequently studied. The beliefs of people receiving treatment are researched less often. METHOD: An online survey on causal beliefs about depression and experiences with antidepressants was completed by 1829 New Zealand adults prescribed anti-depressants in the preceding five years, 97.4% of whom proceeded to take antidepressants. RESULTS: The most frequently endorsed of 17 causal beliefs were family stress, relationship problems, loss of loved one, financial problems, isolation, and abuse or neglect in childhood. Factor analysis produced th..
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Funding Acknowledgements
The study was supported by the University of Auckland's Faculty Research Development Fund.