Shocking rates of depression in carers

High rates of depression in carers
Adele Horin October 15, 2007
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/high-rates-of-depression-in-carers/2007/10/14/1192300600633.html

CARERS who look after frail, disabled or mentally ill relatives suffer "extraordinary" rates of depression and have the lowest level of wellbeing of any group in society, a study reveals.
Their dissatisfaction with all aspects of life is more pronounced than other marginalised groups surveyed, such as unemployed people who live alone and people on very low incomes.
"This is truly sad stuff," said Robert Cummins, of the school of psychology at Deakin University, who will present the findings today at the launch of Carers' Week.
"We have been doing research in this area for more than six years … and I'm not aware of any group that has ever been found to have a wellbeing score as low as carers."
The study, based on the responses of 3750 carers to a detailed questionnaire, showed 56 per cent would be classified as moderately depressed compared with 6 per cent of the general population.
"This is an extraordinary result," said Professor Cummins, who publishes the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index, a regular measure of how satisfied people are with their lives.
Almost 40 per cent of the carers were estimated to fall in the "severe" to "extremely severe" range of depression. The average carer also experienced moderate levels of stress.
The special report on carers compares their wellbeing in July 2007 with that of the general population. It shows high levels of life dissatisfaction among carers even in the presence of mitigating factors such as having a higher income and being in a relationship.
Among the 83 per cent of carers who live with the person they are looking after, the level of wellbeing was the lowest ever measured for any group in 17 wellbeing surveys since 2001.
Professor Cummins said the average wellbeing score for Australians sat between 73 and 76, while the average score for carers was 58.5; for those who resided with their frail, disabled or mentally ill spouse, parent or child, the score was 58.4.
The wellbeing score is calculated from responses to questions about health, relationships, safety and community involvement.
Joan Hughes, chief executive officer of Carers Australia, said: "I know the feelings of anger and frustration among carers, and many of the things that could help them have been spoken about for long enough."
She said 2.6 million Australians were carers, and half a million were in particular distress from being on call 24 hours a day. As well, 104,000 were dependent on a Centrelink carer pension and a further 400,000 received a small fortnightly Centrelink allowance.
"This means a substantial group of carers lives on incomes well below the minimum wage," she said. "The Federal Government has given one-off bonuses of $1000 or $600 in three budgets but what we need is a doubling of the carer allowance and the establishment of a carer superannuation scheme."
The study revealed sole parents to be the most distressed carers. Carers who looked after children were worse off than those who looked after a spouse, and women were much less satisfied than men.
Professor Cummins said there was no evidence carers adapted to their situation if their duties continued for longer than two years.