Misinformation about depression found to hinder understanding of mental health diagnosis | Health

A recent study in Finland suggests that people often receive inaccurate information about depression. Researchers argue that misinformation makes it difficult for people to understand the reasons for their discomfort. The majority of mental health diagnoses are descriptive. For example, a diagnosis of depression does not identify an underlying cause, but rather describes a range of mental symptoms. However, depression is frequently discussed as a condition characterised by a bad mood and other symptoms.

Researchers describe this as a form of circular reasoning, meaning psychiatric diagnoses are often spoken of in a circular way, as if they explain the causes of symptoms. This makes it difficult for people to understand their own distress. (Read also: Mental health matters: Signs to look out for to identify chronic depression in your loved one and find ways to help )

“Depression should be thought of as a similar diagnosis to a headache: both are medical diagnoses, but neither explains the cause of the symptoms. Like a headache, depression is a description of a problem that can have many different causes. A depression diagnosis does not explain the cause of your low mood, and a headache diagnosis does not explain the cause of your headache,” said Jani Kayanoja, MD, a postdoctoral researcher in psychiatry at the University of Turku in Finland.

This misconception is also perpetuated by mental health professionals, according to a recent study by the University of Turku and the University of the Arts Helsinki. In the study, researchers analyzed public information on depression provided by major international health organizations. They selected the websites of English-language organizations with the most influential information on depression, based on search engine results.

The organizations include the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), Harvard University, and Johns Hopkins University. Most organizations portray depression on their websites as a disease that causes symptoms and as a disease that explains the causes of symptoms, which is not the case. None of the organizations presented the diagnosis as a mere description of symptoms, which would have been accurate.

“Presenting depression as a homogenous disorder that causes depressive symptoms is a circular approach that obscures understanding of the nature of mental health issues and makes it harder for people to make sense of their own distress,” Kajanouja said. The researchers suggest that the problem may be caused by cognitive biases.

“People seem to have a tendency to think that a diagnosis provides an explanation, even when it isn’t. It is important that professionals do not reinforce this misunderstanding through their communication and instead help people understand their condition,” said neuropsychologist Jussi Valtonen at the University of Arts Helsinki.

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