Depression stigma higher among men

ACTON, Australia, April 18 (UPI) -- Personal stigma associated with depression is higher among men and the less educated, an Australian study said.

Researchers at the Australian National University examined both personal stigma, which is the negative attitude a person has towards depression, and perceived stigma, which describes the stigma felt by a person with depression.

Lead researcher Kathleen Griffith said more than 6,000 Australian adults, including some with depression, answered research surveys.

People who had come into contact with depression had lower levels of personal stigma.

The researchers found that people who scored highest on a test of depression knowledge were less likely to stigmatize the condition.

The study, published in the journal BMC Psychiatry, said older people were more likely to hold stigmatizing views and to believe that the public viewed people with depression in a poor light.

"Interestingly, although it is often assumed that people from rural areas have more negative attitudes to mental disorders, we did not find any difference between stigma in the country and city," Griffith said in a statement.