Survey charts extent of mental health problems in Malta

Fifteen per cent of the Maltese population will suffer some form of mental health problem at some point in their lifetime, a survey had found.

The local research, conducted as part of the European Health Interview Survey, found that chronic anxiety was more common than depression. The former affected 8 per cent of people, compared to 7 per cent for depression.

Women tended to suffer more than men and mental health problems increased with age. Moreover those who were widowed or had marital problems had a higher risk of mental health problems.

The survey found that people with a lower education were more prone to mental health problems, but people with a wide circle of friends were likely to suffer less than those who did not.

The majority of the 5,500 respondents said they had experienced positive feelings in the four weeks before they were interviewed; 64 per cent felt 'full of life, calm and peaceful', while 73 per cent felt happy on all or most of the time.

But 18 per cent felt very nervous, six er cent felt depressed and 11 per cent felt tired on all or most of the time.

Parliamentary Secretary Mario Galea said that stigma might create a problem in the reporting of mental health problems and many people might feel embarassed to declare that they had a problem or had been to a psychiatrist.

"Many times problems start in adolescence and we need to start awareness about mental health problems in schools," Mr Galea said.

He said a number of sufferers, even adults, had reported being bullied.

In the EU there are some 50 million people who suffer mental health problems. The figures for Malta, he said, showed that Malta fared well compared to other countries.