Irish people are living longer, but more of that time is spent suffering pain and depression.
A global study published in the Lancet medical journal has found anxiety disorders, migraine and hearing loss are some of the conditions people are living with in later years.
Others include neck or back pain and asthma, while depression is the leading cause of years lost to disability in Ireland.
Worldwide, researchers found that the proportion of years of healthy life lost to illness jumped to 31% in 2013 - up from 21% in 1990.
The researchers conclude that their results illustrate that "the non-fatal dimensions of disease and injury will require more and more attention from health systems."
Dr Sinead Byrne spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning, saying she is not surprised by the results of the research based on her experiences working as a practicing GP.
Dr Byrne says there are a number of reasons why people are prone to depression in later life, such as a diagnosis of a chronic disease or becoming less mobile.
However she stressed that there are treatments available for depression and other conditions, and anti-depressants "certainly work for severe and moderate depression."
You can listen back to Dr Byrne's comments on the study below:
