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People of working age living alone at 80% greater risk
to become depressed than those living in families, according to the Finnish study. The study's authors stress that the percentage of households with a ...

people in western countries has increased over the last three decades, with one in three people in the U.S. and the UK to live alone.

The main factors contributing to this include poor housing conditions for women and lack of social support for men.

The study followed the use of antidepressants to 3,500 Finns.

Participants in the study, published in the journal BioMed Central Public Health was 1,695 men and 1,776 women Finns of working age, and had an average age of 44.6 years.

The researchers interviewed in 2000 and asked if they lived alone or with other people. We also collected data on social support, work climate, education, income, employment status and housing conditions, smoking habits, alcohol use, etc.

The researchers found that people who lived alone bought 80% more antidepressants during the monitoring period, between 2000 and 2008 than those who did not live alone.

The Dr. Laura Pulkki-Raback, who led the research at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, nonetheless said that the actual risk of mental health problems in people living alone may be much higher.

"This kind of study usually underestimate the great risk to those people suffering from depression, as this portion of the people are most likely not even complete cooperation with investigators' notes.