Toronto, Oct 23 (PTI) The risk of death due to depressionhas significantly increased in women due to the pressure ofchanging societal roles and multiple responsibilities, a studyhas found.
The study, published in the Canadian Medical AssociationJournal, looked at 60 years of mental health data on 3,410adults during three periods (1952-1967, 1968-1990 and 1991-2011) from a region in Atlantic Canada and linked the data todeaths in the Canadian Mortality Database.
Researchers found that the link between depression and anincreased risk of death was observed in all decades of thestudy among men, whereas it emerged among women beginning inthe 1990s.
The risk of death associated with depression appearedstrongest in the years following a depressive episode,researchers said.
"The lifespan for young adults with depression at age 25was markedly shorter over the 60-year period, ranging from 10to 12 fewer years of life in the first group, four to sevenyears in the second group and seven to 18 fewer years of lifein the 1992 group," said Ian Colman from University of Ottawain Canada.
Though depression has also been linked with poorer diet,lack of exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption - allfactors that can result in chronic health conditions - thesedid not explain the increased risk of death associated withdepression, researchers said.
Societal change may help explain the emergent risk ofdeath for women with depression, they said.
"During the last 20 years of the study in which women'srisk of death increased significantly, roles have changeddramatically both at home and in the workplace, and many womenshoulder multiple responsibilities and expectations," saidColman. PTI APA MHNMHN.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.