Enduring financial crisis in Greece: prevalence and correlates of major depression and suicidality

Abstract

Results stress the imperative need for the design and implementation of social policies and interventions that would offset the dire impact of the sustained recession in Greece.

Medium-term impact of the economic crisis on mortality, health-related behaviours and access to healthcare in Greece

“…Nevertheless, suicide rates may reflect worsening mental health at a population level, as well as inadequate mental health services18. Indeed, depressive symptoms among the general population have increased during the crisis7 and the average score of the SF-12 mental health component declined sharply, indicating deteriorating mental health in the country. The proportion of adults diagnosed by a physician with either depression or anxiety disorders did not increase in our study, but this may imply that these problems are being under-diagnosed, as mental health services are under a lot of pressure and understaffed19.…”

“…Previous studies suggest that the crisis has resulted in increases in poor self-rated health6, depression7, suicide attempts8, homicides9, infant10 and all-cause mortality11, outbreaks of infectious diseases12, restrictions in access to healthcare213, and mortality due to adverse events during medical treatment14. However, most of these studies included data only from the first two years of the crisis and only report short-term effects.…”

COVID‑19 related stress exacerbates common physical and mental pathologies and affects treatment (Review)

“…Stigmatizing attitudes can present in many alternative versions and can be fueled by the fear of transmission of infectious diseases (12), therefore efforts to tackle the COVID-19 social stigma should be a priority amongst mental health professionals. Previous experience of the psychosocial impact of international outbreaks of viral epidemics and large scale financial crises, that COVID-19 is expected to trigger (13), underscore the urgent need to design and implement psychosocial support and intervention programs (4,14); these should be considered an integral part of the healthcare strategy for the battle against COVID-19.…”

Resilience Mediates the Influence of a Polymorphism in the Serotonin Transporter Gene on the Relationship between the Burden of Chronic Illness and Depression

“…The financial crisis that has afflicted Greece since 2008 has adversely affected the physical and mental health of the population, with reports pointing to a rise in the prevalence of depression from 3.3% prior to the crisis to 12.3% in 2013 [1], while in people with rheumatological disorders the prevalence of depression was found to be 25.4% [2]. The stress-diathesis model of depression postulates that individuals exhibit different vulnerability to depression once challenged with varying levels of stress [3].…”