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	According to a recent Finnish study, adults of working age, living alone, are 80% more likely to be taking anbtidepressants than those living with at least one other person. The study, led by Dr. Laura Pulkki-Raback of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, and published by BioMed Central&#39;s public health journal, look at the antidepressant use of 3,500 individuals aged between 30 and 65 over the course of 7 years.</p>
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	There are a number of limitations to the research which, in fairness, the authors acknowledge. The living status of the participants (alone or not alone) was only recorded a thte beginning of the 7 year period. An awful lot can change in 7 years. And the use of antidepressants prior to the study was also not recorded, meaning that while&nbsp;an association between living alone and depression might be reasonably inferred, it is not possible to establish whether living alone may lead to depression or depression leads to living alone.</p>
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	Nonetheless, with 30% of Irish Households currently made up of a single occupant, a figure expected to rise by 40% by 2020. evidence suggesting such disparity between the mental wellbeing of those living alone and those living with other people demands to be looked at seriously. Regrettably, the needs of single people are routinely ignored by politicans across the political spectrum. Indeed, even the language of political debate, with its focus on &#39;hard working families&#39;, would seem to exclude the thousands who live alone.</p>
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	The Finnish study uncovered a number of factors that appear to contribute to the increased risk of depression in single-person households. Single occupants, especially women, were more likely to suffer financial hardship, and live in poorer housing conditions. Although at the start of the study all participants were either employed or recently employed, those living alone were significantly more likely to experience unemployment over the course of it. For men, a lack of social support was seen as a predominant factor in the increased use of antidepressants. Both men and women living alone experienced higher levels of what the authors describe as &#39;cynical hostility&#39;.</p>
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	It does not suggest that multi-person households are the answer to our problems. There are plenty of people living with partners, families or flatmates who suffer from mental health problems, including depression. Nor does living alone inevitably result in poorer mental health. In fact, it indicates that many of the challenges of living alone are caused bu our failure as a society to recognise, let alone embrace, the value of solitude.</p>
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	But it is hard to see how if someone is feeling depressed, living alone can lead to a vicious sysle. You don&#39;t feel up to seeing anyone, so you stay at home and little by little slip into a norm of not socialising, your confidence diminishes and your mood drops further. In this context its not hard to see why the use of antidepressants is soaring among people who live alone. But in the long term we can only address this by tackling the material and social factors that underpin it. Antidepressants have a role to play but you cant talk to a packet of Prozac.</p>
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