13 Facts About Depression Worth Knowing

In everyday conversation, the word depression is commonly used to mean disappointed, bummed out, or mildly upset. But, unlike these typical human experiences, depression is a mood disorder that has debilitating consequences for people who live with it.

Depression causes persistent sadness, hopelessness, loss of motivation, sleep and eating disturbances, thinking and concentration problems, and thoughts of suicide. People with this disorder may struggle to complete tasks required to function day-to-day. Let’s explore some facts about depression to understand its global impact.

Depression Facts

  1. Global Prevalence: It’s estimated that 280 million people are affected by depression globally.

  1. Gender Disparities: Women are 50% more likely to experience depression than men. This may be for many reasons, like societal pressure and inequality, trauma, hormonal changes, pregnancy, and postpartum depression.

  1. Age Groups Affected: While depression affects people of all ages, young adults aged 18-29 have the highest rates of depression.

  1. Global Economic Impact: Depression can lead to a loss of productivity. Combined, 12 billion working days are lost annually. This costs the global economy $1 trillion per year and is likely to reach $16 trillion per year by 2030.

  1. Comorbidity with Other Illnesses: People with depression often have additional mood disorders and medical conditions, like anxiety, substance use disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

  1. Treatment Options: Treatment for depression can include psychotherapy, like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), antidepressant medication, or a combination of both. For treatment-resistant depression, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, ketamine treatment, or electroconvulsive therapy may be used.

  1. Untreated Depression: Approximately 60% of people with depression do not get adequate treatment. A lack of mental health resources and social stigma about mental health may contribute to this phenomenon. People in rural areas may have less access to necessary mental health care.

  1. Effectiveness of Treatment: Appropriate treatment can lead to significant improvements in depression symptoms. Fifty-four percent of adults have a 50% reduction of symptoms when taking anti-depressant medication, and up to 66% improve with psychotherapy.

  1. Impact on Quality of Life: Depression significantly reduces quality of life, making it challenging to attend to social, professional, and personal obligations and interests. Maintaining relationships, hobbies, finances, hygiene, and other daily tasks may seem overwhelming or disinteresting.

  1. Cultural Variations: Cultural factors influence the expression and experience of depression. Generally, people from Eastern cultures often report more physical symptoms, like headaches, stomach problems, chest tightness and fatigue. People from Western cultures often report more psychological symptoms, like feeling sad, hopeless, or irritable. These cultural differences may be caused by stigma about mental illness, varied views of health, social expectations, etc.

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  1. Cause of Depression: Depression doesn’t have a single cause. It can stem from a combination of psychological, genetic, environmental, and biological factors. A person’s risk of developing depression increases if they have a family history of it or they’ve experienced traumatic or negative life events.

  1. Protective Factors Against Depression: While each case of depression is caused by complex factors, there are steps people can take to reduce the risk of developing it. These are called protective factors and include building healthy coping skills, seeking social support, eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, and managing stress.

  1. Childhood Adversity and Depression: Negative childhood experiences, like abuse, neglect, and trauma, increase the risk of developing depression in adulthood. It may also make depression harder to treat.

Need support coping with depression? UCA’s 24-hour Counseling Hotline therapists can help. Learn more.

Sources

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression/art-20047725#:~:text=About%20twice%20as%20many%20women,can%20occur%20at%20any%20age.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db379.htm#:~:text=The%20percentage%20of%20adults%20who%20experienced%20any%20symptoms%20of%20depression,30%E2%80%9344%20(16.8%25).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9925363/#:~:text=Lost%20productivity%20alone%20for%20depression,Gross%20Domestic%20Product%20(GDP)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430847/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392551/

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30036-5/fulltext

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10092833/#:~:text=Cultures%20differ%20in%20their%20expression,R%C3%B6ssler%2C%202007%3B%20Mirza%20et%20al

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression#:~:text=Research%20suggests%20that%20genetic%2C%20biological,life%20changes%2C%20trauma%2C%20or%20stress

https://psychcentral.com/depression/how-do-i-reduce-my-risk-of-depression#reducing-your-risk