A recent Finnish study reveals that people are often given misleading information about depression, making it harder for them to understand the causes of their distress.

The researchers point out that most psychiatric diagnoses, including depression, are purely descriptive and do not explain the causes of symptoms. Despite this, depression is frequently discussed as a disorder that causes low mood and other symptoms, which the researchers describe as circular reasoning. This misconception complicates people’s understanding of their mental health.

“Depression should be considered as a diagnosis similar to a headache. Both are medical diagnoses, but neither explains what causes the symptoms. Like a headache, depression is a description of a problem that can have many different causes. A diagnosis of depression does not explain the cause of depressed mood any more than a diagnosis of headaches explains the cause of pain in the head,”

explains Jani Kajanoja, a postdoctoral researcher and psychiatrist at the University of Turku in Finland.

A study by the University of Turku and the University of the Arts Helsinki examined information on depression from leading international health organizations, including the WHO, APA, NHS, and top universities like Harvard and Johns Hopkins. These organizations often portrayed depression as a disorder that causes symptoms, which is misleading. None of them presented depression accurately as a pure description of symptoms.

“Presenting depression as a uniform disorder that causes depressive symptoms is circular reasoning that blurs our understanding of the nature of mental health problems and makes it harder for people to understand their distress,”

says Kajanoja.

The researchers suggest that this issue may stem from a cognitive bias where people tend to see a diagnosis as an explanation. “It is important for professionals not to reinforce this misconception with their communication, and instead help people to understand their condition,” says Professor and Neuropsychologist Jussi Valtonen from the University of the Arts Helsinki.

Learn more about depression here.