Comment on St Johns Wort (April 2002)

Depression is one of the most common conditions in the UK, affecting onein five people at some stage in their life. It is also one of the mostmisunderstood. The World HealthOrganisation estimates that by 2020 depression will be the biggest globalhealth concern after chronic heart disease.

Although thisreport into the efficacy of St Johns Wort in the treatment of severedepression is interesting, it comes as no surprise. Depression Alliancerecognises that St Johns Wort is clinically proven and widely used by doctorsin Europe for mild to moderate depression. It is not commonly used to treatsevere clinical depression.

St Johns Wortshould always be taken in conjunction with medical advice.

It is unfortunate that the stigma and lack of accurate informationsurrounding depression continues to prevent those affected from seeking andfinding help when it is required. Depression is a treatable illness but atworst it can be fatal. 70% of recordedsuicides are by people affected by some form of depression. We must all work together to changeattitudes and do all we can to beat depression.