Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can have a negative effect on a person’s thoughts, behaviour, feelings, world view and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, worried, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, hurt, or restless. They may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable; experience loss of appetite or overeating; have problems concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions; and may contemplate, attempt, or even desire suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, loss of energy, or aches, pains or digestive problems that are resistant to treatment may be present. Depressed mood is not necessarily a psychiatric disorder. It is a normal reaction to certain life events, a symptom of some medical conditions, and a side effect of some medical treatments. Depressed mood is also a primary or associated feature of certain psychiatric syndromes such as clinical depression. The feeling of depression is deeper, longer and more unpleasant than the short episodes of unhappiness that everyone experiences occasionally.
Symptoms include: persistent sadness or low mood losing interest in life finding it harder to make decisions not coping with things that used to be manageable feeling exhausted feeling restless and agitated; loss of appetite and weight difficulties getting to sleep loss of sex drive thoughts of self-harm or suicide. Depression Statistics Depressive disorders affect approximately 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5% of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year. This includes major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder. Everyone, will at some time in their life be affected by
depression — their own or someone else’s, according to Australian Government statistics. (Depression statistics in Australia are comparable to those of the US and UK.) Pre-schoolers are the fastest-growing market for antidepressants. At least four percent of preschoolers — over a million — are clinically depressed. The rate of increase of depression among children is an astounding 23% p.a. 15% of the population of most developed countries suffers severe depression. 30% of women are depressed. Men’s figures were previously thought to be half that of women, but new estimates are higher. 54% of people believe depression is a personal weakness. 41% of depressed women are too embarrassed to seek help. 80% of depressed people are not currently having any treatment.
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92% of depressed African-American males do not seek treatment. 15% of depressed people will commit suicide. Depression will be the second largest killer after heart disease by 2020 — and studies show depression is a contributory factor to fatal coronary disease. Depression results in more absenteeism than almost any other physical disorder and costs employers more than US$51 billion per year in absenteeism and lost productivity, not including high medical and pharmaceutical bills. General Depression Statistics Recent statistics suggest roughly seven of every one hundred people suffer depression after age 18 at some point in their lives. As many as one in 33 children and one in eight adolescents have clinical depression. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 10 to 24. Most people diagnosed with major depression receive a diagnosis between their late twenties to mid-thirties. About six million people are affected by late life depression, but only 10% ever receive treatment. For every one man that develops depression, two women will, regardless of racial or ethnic background or economic status. More than half of all people caring for an older relative show clinically significant depressive symptoms. By the year 2020, depression will be the 2nd most common health problem in the world. Statistics on Depression and Other Diseases Depression often exists with other diseases, including chronic pain, arthritis, diabetes and HIV patients. Depression is also known to weaken the immune system, making the body more susceptible to other medical illnesses. People with depression are four times as likely to develop a heart attack than those without a history of the illness. After a heart attack, they are at a significantly increased risk of death or second heart attack. 25% of cancer patients experience depression. 10-27% of post-stroke patients experience depression. 1 in 3 heart attack survivors experience depression. Almost half of all patients with Parkinson’s suffer from depression, ranging from mild to moderate. Approximately one of every two patients with an eating disorder suffers from major or clinical depression. 27% of individuals with substance abuse disorders (both alcohol and other substances) experience depression. Depression may increase a woman’s risk for broken bones. Statistics on the Economic Impact of Depression Major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44. Clinical or major depression is the top cause of disability throughout the world for persons 5 and over. In the United States alone, businesses may spend anywhere from twelve to seventy billion dollars caring for or paying for the medical expenses of employees that have depression or suffer from a related mental illness.