What Countries Have The Highest Depression Rates
The World Health Organization tracks depression rates from around the world. However, its essential to keep in mind that depression and other mental health conditions are vastly underreported around the globe. Cultural biases, social stigma, and a lack of access to screening and treatment can all influence rates of underreporting. The most recent findings on global depression rates from the WHO indicate that the following countries have the highest rates of depression:
- China
- Pakistan
- Iran
In the U.S., one in five adults will struggle with a depressive disorder at some point in their lifetimes. However, only 41% of depression sufferers will receive help for their illness. The biggest reason that mental health advocates cite as the prevention for people getting help for their depression in the U.S. is a lack of sufficient healthcare providers and the prohibitive costs of medication.
Alcohol Tobacco And Other Drugs
Misusing alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs can have both immediate and long-term health effects.
The misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and prescription medications affect the health and well-being of millions of Americans. SAMHSAs 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that approximately 19.3 million people aged 18 or older had a substance use disorder in the past year.
Bond With Mother Nature
This is absolutely crucial to restoring your energy levels and feel connected to the Earth. Not only is nature breathtakingly beautiful, but the great outdoors is a great stress-free zone. No wifi and cellphone signals messing up your brain, no CCTV cameras, no man-made noise, no light pollution, and no crowds. Whether youre walking through a forest or sitting down by the ocean, you notice an instant calming effect that soothes the soul. Nature is oblivious to humanitys problems. No matter whats going on with our dumb species, the wind keeps rustling in the treetops, the ocean keeps making waves, babbling brooks keep flowing, and birds keep singing. If you live close enough to the wilderness to head out for one hour a day and enjoy the tranquility, do it! If youre a city dweller, try heading to a park at lunchtime, exercise outside rather than in a gym, and plan regular weekends away to escape the oppressive urban jungle as much as you possibly can. Never underestimate the healing power of the natural world.
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What Are The Different Types Of Depression
You might have heard a number of terms used to describe depression. In this section, we explain what some of these terms mean.
What is clinical depression?
Clinical depression is a common term, but it is not a formal diagnosis. People sometimes say clinical diagnosis to just mean they have been diagnosed by a doctor.
What is a depressive episode?
Your doctor might say that you are going through a ‘depressive episode’. This is the formal name that doctors give depression when they make a diagnosis. They may say that you are going through a ‘mild’, ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’ episode.
What is recurrent depressive disorder?
If you have had repeated episodes of depression, your doctor might say that you have recurrent depressive disorder. They may say that your current episode is ‘mild’, ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’.
What is reactive depression?
If your doctor thinks that your episode of depression was caused by particular stressful events in your life, they may say that it is reactive. For example, divorce, job or money worries. This is sometimes separated from an adjustment disorder, where you may struggle with some symptoms of depression because of adapting to a major change in your life. Such as separation from people, retirement or migrating to a new area.
What is a severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms?
You can find more information about Psychosis by clicking here.
What is dysthymia?
What is cyclothymia?
What is postnatal depression?
What is manic depression?
How Is Depression Treated
The first step to getting treatment is to see your GP. If your GP thinks you have depression, they will talk to you about the treatments they can offer.
What are talking therapies?
Talking therapy is a general term to describe any psychological therapy that involves talking. You may also hear the terms counselling or psychotherapy used to describe talking therapy.
Therapy should offer you a safe, confidential place to talk about your life and anything confusing, painful or uncomfortable. It allows you to talk with someone who is trained to listen attentively and to help you improve things.
Talking therapy often takes place face to face. But you may also be able to have therapy over the phone, by video call or online. There are different types of talking therapy that you might be offered. These include:
- cognitive-behavioural therapy,
- mindfulness based therapy, and
- counselling.
The type of therapy you are offered will depend on the cause of your symptoms and their severity. Therapies may also have different levels based on how long or intense the treatment is.
Ask your GP about therapy if you think it might help. Some of these therapies will be available in your area. Some areas offer a self-referral option for NHS talking therapies. Please refer to your local Improving Access to Psychological Therapies service to find out about this option.
You may also be able to access therapy privately or through your employer in an Employee Assistance Programme.
How can exercise help?
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High Private Debt Levels
Another narrative focuses on high levels of private debt in the US economy. USA household debt as a percentage of annual disposable personal income was 127% at the end of 2007, versus 77% in 1990. Faced with increasing mortgage payments as their adjustable rate mortgage payments increased, households began to default in record numbers, rendering mortgage-backed securities worthless. High private debt levels also impact growth by making recessions deeper and the following recovery weaker.Robert Reich claims the amount of debt in the US economy can be traced to economic inequality, assuming that middle-class wages remained stagnant while wealth concentrated at the top, and households “pull equity from their homes and overload on debt to maintain living standards”.
By 2007, real estate bubbles were still under way in many parts of the world, especially in the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, The Netherlands, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Ireland, Poland,South Africa, Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia,Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Finland, Argentina, the Baltic states, India, Romania, Ukraine and China. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said in mid-2005 that “at a minimum, there’s a little ‘froth’ …it’s hard not to see that there are a lot of local bubbles”.
Safely Using Social Media
Using social media comes with mental health risks, but that doesnt mean it should be completely avoided. Experts recommend using these networking websites in moderation.
Set a timer when youre on social media or install an app on your phone or computer that tracks how long youve spent on a networking site.
Without these timers or apps, its easy to spend hours on social media before you know it. To limit your time on social media, you can also plan real-world activities that help you focus on your immediate surroundings and circumstances. Read a book, watch a movie, go for a stroll, play a game, bake some bread, or have a phone conversation with a friend. Make the time to enjoy life offline.
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Depression Around The World
Mental Health Education » Deep TMS for Depression » Depression Around the World
Major depressive disorder , ranks among the leading causes of disability across the globe. With research increasing its focus on the effects of ones community on their well-being, mental health professionals have been able to expand their understanding of how depression around the world is experienced and manifested. Read on to find out how this condition is presented across the globe.
What If My Symptoms Dont Improve
If youre not responding to treatment, you may live with treatment resistant depression. This is when your symptoms have not improved after at least 2 standard treatments. This can also be known as treatment-refractory depression.
There is currently no official criteria used to diagnose treatment resistant depression.
What treatment is available for treatment-resistant depression?There are treatment options for treatment resistant depression. Even if antidepressants have not worked already for you, your doctor may suggest a different antidepressant from a different class.
The new antidepressant you are offered will depend on the first antidepressant you were given.
Sometimes your doctor can prescribe a second type of medication to go with your antidepressant. This can sometimes help the antidepressant work better than it does by itself.
Where antidepressants have not worked, your doctor may suggest talking therapies, ECT or brain stimulation treatments. See the previous section for more information on these.
What is an implanted vagus nerve stimulator, and how is it used in treatment resistant depression?If you live with treatment resistant depression, and youve not responded to other treatments, you may be able ask for an implanted vagus nerve stimulator.
Please speak to your doctor if youre interested in this treatment and for more information. You may be able to get this treatment funded through an Individual Funding Request.
- NHS – Your Rights by clicking here.
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A Stunning Map Of Depression Rates Around The World
The Middle East and North Africa suffer the worlds highest depression rates, according to a new study by researchers at Australias University of Queensland — and its costing people in the region years off their lives.
The study, published this week in the journal PLOS Medicine, used data on the prevalence, incidence and duration of depression to determine the social and public health burden of the disorder around the world. Globally, they found, depression is the second-leading cause of disability, with slightly more than 4 percent of the world’s population diagnosed with it. The map at the top of this page shows how much of the population in each country has received a diagnosis of clinical depression.
Still, the researchers findings have real ramifications for the world — and are often surprising. More than 5 percent of the population suffers from depression in the Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. Meanwhile, depression is reportedly lowest in East Asia, followed by Australia/New Zealand and Southeast Asia. This chart shows how each region of the world is affected by depression the orange line indicates the number of years spent living with clinical depression per every 100,000 people.
The most depressed country is Afghanistan, where more than one in five people suffer from the disorder. The least depressed is Japan, with a diagnosed rate of less than 2.5 percent.
How Is Prevalence Defined And Measured
The widespread issue of underreporting means accurate and representative data on the prevalence of disorders is difficult to define. If relying on mental health diagnoses alone, this underestimation would be severe. Prevalence figures would be likely to reflect healthcare spending rather than giving a representative perspective on differences between countries high-income countries would likely show significantly higher prevalence as a result of more diagnoses.
The data presented in this entry by the Institute of Health Metrics & Evaluation is therefore based on a combination of sources, including medical and national records, epidemiological data, in addition to survey data. Where raw data for a particular country is scarce, epidemiological data and meta-regression models must be used based on available data from neighbouring countries. Data quality issues are described below.
The data presented here therefore offers an estimate of mental health prevalence based on medical, epidemiological data, surveys and meta-regression modelling.
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Are Mental Health Problems Increasing
The overall number of people reporting mental health problems has been going up in recent years.
- The amount of people with common mental health problems went up by 20% between 1993 to 2014, in both men and women .
- The percentage of people reporting severe mental health symptoms in any given week rose from 7% in 1993, to over 9% in 2014 .
- The number of young women reporting common mental health problems has been going up .
Is Depression Really On The Rise
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Its an idea repeated so often that its now taken for a fact depression is on the rise.
If true, modern society has messed up.
In 1985, 10% of people had no one to discuss important matters with. By 2004, that number had grown to 25% one out of every four people!
Were spending less time with other people, eating worse food, and getting less exercise, sunlight, and sleep.
The depression rate has surely increased, right?
My father disagrees.
Normally that wouldnt mean anything to me he believes lots of crazy things. But hes a psychiatrist.
Psychiatrists are the ones who invented the scientific study of mental dysfunction.
The field has problems. But they base many of their beliefs off of empirical evidence, not armchair philosophizing, like what used to be common.
Psychiatry has insights to offer.
Is the idea that the rise of depression is more media sensationalization than hard journalism one of them?
My concerns are with anxiety and depression. I know too little about the less common disorders like schizophrenia to have an opinion there.I have two complaints.
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Depression Statistics Everyone Should Know
Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Depression affects people from all walks of life, no matter their background. It can affect people of all ages as well. Unfortunately, theres still a stigma that surrounds mental health issues, and some people view disorders like depression as a weakness. But, similar to the way anyone can develop certain physical health issues, mental health issues arent always preventable.
Understanding the latest depression statistics could increase awareness about mental health, and recognizing how widespread it is could also help reduce the stigmawhich might encourage more people to seek treatment.
Whom Did The Great Depression Affect
Nearly everyone was affected by the Great Depression, but they weren’t all impacted to the same degree. Many people lost their job, but even those who didn’t experienced some negative effects from the reduced levels of investment and economic growth. For example, if a neighborhood bank failed, then it became harder to take out a mortgage or small business loan. The effects were felt globally, as well, and many countries experienced similar economic declines.
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New Global Burden Of Disease Analyses Show Depression And Anxiety Among The Top Causes Of Health Loss Worldwide And A Significant Increase Due To The Covid
**Content Warning**
This post discusses suicide and some people might find it disturbing. If you or someone you know is suicidal, please, contact your physician, visit your local ER, or call the suicide prevention hotline in your location.
For the US, the numbers are as follows: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK , or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Both numbers are free, confidential, and available 24/7.
As we near the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, a noticeable and disproportionate increase in the global burden of depressive and anxiety disorders has impacted the mental health of women and children worldwide. According to a new analysis published in The Lancet showing that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a stark rise in depressive and anxiety disorders globally in 2020, the overall number of cases of mental disorders rose dramatically, with an additional 53.2 million and 76.2 million cases of anxiety and major depressive disorders , respectively.
Self-harm deaths in women globally in 2019, GBD 2019
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health disorders posed a significant burden worldwide. In 2019, depression was the second-leading cause of disability globally, and anxiety ranked eighth, both being the most common types of mental health disorders.
Global disability-adjusted life-years by mental disorder, sex, and age in 2019
What Does Depression Look Like
Well raise your question with a few Qs of our own: Are you female? Are you a teen? Depression can also affect different ages and genders in unique ways:
Women are more likely to ruminate . This can look like negative self-talk, sudden crying spells, feelings of guilt, or blaming oneself. Women are also more likely to have depression at the same time as an anxiety disorder, such as panic disorder, eating disorder, or obsessive-compulsive behavior.
Men with depression are more likely to show signs of irritability, anger, apathy, escapist behavior , or reckless behavior .
Younger people can struggle with depression and MDD . Children and teens may sometimes exhibit oversensitivity, social withdrawal, poor school performance, frequent physical complaints , or feelings of incompetence and despair .
Older adults and the elderly are often misdiagnosed or undertreated for depression because their symptoms can be mistaken for other disorders , or they may assume their feelings are just an inevitable part of aging. For many, sadness isnt the biggest indicator of depression instead, physical complaints are often the predominant symptom. Sleep trouble, low motivation, neglect of personal care or hygiene, and fixation on death are other signs of depression in older adults.
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