Over 60% of adults with asthma in Ireland have experienced recent depressive symptoms, while 20% are unable to work because of their health, a new study has found.

According to the findings, 61% of adults with asthma said they had experienced depressive symptoms in the last four weeks, with 6% of these depressed ‘most of the time'.

Meanwhile 20% said they were unable to work because of their health and 82% said their physical health is limited because of their asthma. Some 54% said they ‘felt despair' at some stage because of their health, while 10% felt ‘much more limited' in comparison to other people of their age.

The study also noted that almost half of those with asthma - 46% - said they had little or no energy over the last four weeks.

Speaking at the launch of the findings, Caitriona Kennedy, who has had asthma since she was a baby, said that she is glad that asthma is being taken more seriously now.

"I felt nobody understood the constant exhaustion asthma brings. It is only in very recent years that this has been spoken about. I was embarrassed having asthma as a child and hid it. I spent most of my childhood in and out of Temple Street Hospital. I couldn't keep up with my peers. One of the main symptoms for me was a severe lack of sleep, which has far reaching effects on your life. I was tired and irritable all the time," she explained.

Also speaking at the launch, Fine Gael TD and chairperson of the Oireachtas Health Committee, said that this study ‘dispels the myth that asthma is not a serious condition'.

"It unearths new facts about the emotional trauma asthma can bring and the severe effects it can have on quality of life. The patient voice is loud and clear in this study," he noted.

According to David Hevey, an associate professor in psychology at Trinity College Dublin, asthma is associated with higher rates of clinical depression, anxiety and panic, and asthma patients have twice the rate of suicide mortality than those without the condition.

"Restricted ability to perform activities of daily living and fear of becoming breathless may lead to avoidance of activities and social isolation. It is critically important that individuals receive sufficient formal and informal support, particularly in support from family and friends," he commented.

The study was commissioned by the Asthma Society of Ireland, Novartis and UCC.