Two out of five women in survey depressed

Two out of every five women who responded to a magazine survey on women's health have been diagnosed with clinical or postnatal depression.

Only half believed that they had been cured.

More than 30 per cent said they did not get adequate support for depression and ranked their partners below their doctor, close friends and family in that respect.

The Next survey received 4720 responses from women. Forty-three per cent were aged under 40 and 71 per cent were under 50.

The survey revealed that nearly half (48 per cent) had had counselling, mainly for marital problems, and 75 per cent found it helpful.

More than 80 per cent had pap cancer smears and 30 per cent had had an abnormal result.

One in five had had a breast cancer scare yet more than half did not have regular mammograms.

About a quarter of the women said they had great sex lives, but 31 per cent said their sex lives were not satisfying or could be better. Most (70 per cent) had sex at least once a week.

Only 4 per cent smoked but 60 per cent were regular drinkers, at least once a week.

Most (78 per cent) said they had a balanced diet, 52 per cent said they had a healthy relationship with food, 45 per cent said their relationship with food was erratic and unbalanced and 20 per cent said their diet was haphazard.

- NZPA