Depression and distress going undetected, according to study

A study has shown that nursing staff have trouble picking up on signs of depression and distress in patients.

The study, carried out by University of Leicester, reportedly showed that nurses were not being given enough mental health training.

Dr Mitchell, of the Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine at the University of Leicester, said: “In terms of dealing with distress and depression, nursing staff are probably the most important group of health professionals. 

“In the NHS 400,000 nurses provide valuable support to those suffering a range a physical and mental illnesses but struggle to detect depression in the early stages. Nurses are often very capable of forming good therapeutic relationships and provide a great deal of psychological support which is highly valued. However their ability to do this is increasingly under-pressure from high workloads and little funding for professional development.  

“Our first analysis found that 7000 nurses and nursing assistants often overlooked depression in clinical settings. Nurses working in hospital settings and nursing homes correctly identified about 4 out of 10 people with depression and practice nurses working in primary care correctly identified only one in four people with depression.”