How Common Is Depression?

and individual. But depression is really pretty common. But answering the question of how common is it is really complicated. First off, by depression, I mean feelings of sadness, emptiness, or irritability that affect one's capacity to function. On a global scale. It's estimated that somewhere between three point eight percent and four point four percent of human beings experience depression, something like three hundred million people, give or take a

few dozen million. And I know that is an infuriatingly imprecise statistic, but depression can be difficult to put a finger on, and nonetheless, it is a serious issue. The World Health Organization ranks it as the single largest contributor to disability on the planet. Of course, depressive conditions aren't evenly and randomly distributed throughout the world. A depression can affect anyone regardless of who you are and where you

are in life, but it is more common in certain populations. Globally, it's most common in older adults ages fifty five to seventy four. Ish Women are about fifty percent more likely than men to experience it. It's most prevalent in people's with the incomes, but those in zones of active conflict and those living with chronic physical illnesses, which really only makes sense. When you start getting a little more granular,

the statistics start getting weirder. Rates of depressive disorders are higher in North America than anywhere else in the world because of Greenland, which is the most depressed country or territory. Technically, there's more depression in high income countries than in middle income countries. In different cultures, factors like never having been married or having a low level of education might make you more likely to have depression or way less. All

of this speaks to how complex depression is. Science still doesn't know exactly how it works, though, as we have said on the show before, researchers think it's a combination of genetics, biochemistry, psychology, and environmental factors like stressors, which can vary from culture to culture. And part of the issue is how we trap depression. You can look at actual medical diagnoses, but that doesn't cover people who never

see a doctor if a doctor is even available. Around the world, it's estimated that less than twenty five percent of people with depression have access to proper care. You can look at surveys, but you have to take into consideration what questions were being asked based on which diagnostic criteria. A science is updating its considerations about depression all the time. You also have to trust that the people who were surveyed were being honest. Researchers make best guess estimates based

on available data. But okay, what if we narrow our question of how common depression is down to the United States, because that's where brain stuff is based. One great source of data here is the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which is a large annual survey of tens of thousands of Americans conducted by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. They then use that data

to extrapolate out to the general American population. As of twenty twenty three, they found that eight point five percent of adults ages eighteen and older had experienced at least one episode of major depression in the past year. And okay, I want to break that down by age group because it is dark. In people ages fifteen older, only four

point five percent had had a major depressive episode. In ages twenty six to forty nine years, it was ten point two percent, and in ages eighteen to twenty five years it was seventeen point five percent. And then they also survey at adolescence. In adolescence ages twelve to seventeen years, the rate was even higher, eighteen point one percent had

had at least one major depressive episode. That's a grand estimated total of twenty six point one million people who experienced clinical depression in the US in twenty twenty three. But even this excellent survey may not be telling the full story because it excludes people who are houseless, active duty military personnel, and residents of institutions like jails and

nursing homes, people for whom depression is probably even more common. Also, the survey is still relying on self reported symptoms and humans are historically bad at self reporting symptoms of depression because of the societal stigma against mental illnesses. For a quick example of how this can play out, let's go back to that statistic about the prevalence of depression in women versus men. So women are about twice as likely

to experience depression, but we don't know why. Researchers are studying a myriad of possible links, including hormones, genetics, and other biological factors, but there are also psychosocial factors to consider. One theory is that men are less likely to be

counted because they're less likely to seek help. While men tend to be willing to admit to fatigue, irritability, changes in sleep patterns, and a loss of interest in activities, they typically don't share about feelings of sadness or worthlessness. They're more likely than women to use alcohol or other drugs to mask their feelings. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to acknowledge feelings of sadness, guilt, and worthlessness.

Stigma that is prejudice against mental illness is real. It carries across cultures and has been going on for millennia. Despite the fact that we now know that factors like brain chemistry are at work in depression, there are still prejudices that paint depression as weakness or shameful, and therefore paint depressive behaviors as lazy or some kind of moral failure.

When people internalize the stigma, it can feed into those feelings of sadness, emptiness, and irritability that mark depression in the first place. This could make it even harder for people with depression to seek help and to follow through treatment and mental health maintenance. And although depression is highly treatable, it's also not something that can be cured like a

simple infection. About fifty percent of people who experience one episode of depression will experience a recurrence at some point in their lives, and the more often they relapse, the more likely they are to continue to do so. All of these statistics and the question marks around them sound a little depressing. Is there a measure of how completely

usual depression really is? If you're concerned about yourself for a loved one, the first step is always to talk to a healthcare professional, even a family doctor or online service, to rule out other physical issues and get started with

a diagnosis and a treatment plan. Because symptoms and severity are singular and individual that might involve medication, talk, therapy, or a combination of both, with an eye on building a sort of toolkit of awareness and management and lifestyle strategies to carry with you into the future, no matter

how complicated it seems. Today's episode was written by me with additional material from the article how depression Works on how stuffworks dot Com, written by Maria TREMARKI brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Kuang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio. Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.