Depression Statistics

A quick overview of depression statistics worldwide indicates that reported incidences of depression are more prevalent than they were several decades ago. Whether this is due to the changing nature of mental health definitions, diagnostic criteria or other unknown variables is not clear. However, what is clear is that more people worldwide are suffering from different depression types today than ever before in history.

What is Depression?

The definition of depression describes the symptoms of the affliction. According to the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) the clinical depression definition is as follows:

A patient must experience at least five of these symptoms for a two-week period, during which time these symptoms must represent a significant difference from previous moods that the patient exhibited:

Depressed mood, nearly every day for most of the day
Marked diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities
Significant weight loss or weight gain due to appetite changes
Insomnia or hypersomnia
Psychomotor agitation or psychomotor retardation, that is hyperactivity or lethargy
Fatigue and/or weakness
Feelings of worthlessness or invalidated guilt
Impaired ability to concentrate
Indecisiveness or inability to make a choice
Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation
Self-imposed isolation
Hypochondriasis
Sadness, irritability, uncontrollable crying

Causes of depression extrapolated from depression statistics are diverse and complex, resulting from one or a combination of the following:

Cognitive distortion—People who are trapped in a cycle of low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness caused by a deeply ingrained pattern of negative thinking are often depressed simply because of the way in which they perceive or place meaning on things, events and other people’ s actions. People who exhibit cognitive issues benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches people how to refrain from thinking negative thoughts and instead instructs them on how to focus on rationally conceived, objective thoughts.

Biological—Biological and genetic causes of depression involve a lack of sufficient amounts of hormones in the brain, specifically serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. These hormones regulate mood, sleep, attention, motor activity and appetite. When something occurs which causes receptors to inhibit release of these hormones into the brain, mental and physical changes occur, which cause symptoms of depression as well as other mental disorders. Depression statistics regarding treatment for a biological form of depression suggest that medication with antidepressants and counseling generate the best results.

Situational—An episode of depression provoked by a traumatic life event such as a divorce, death of a loved one, sudden unemployment and ensuing financial problems is considered situational depression because it has a direct cause and once the problem is resolved, the individual is no longer experiencing symptoms of depression. Sometimes counseling is all that is required for a patient to recover from situational depression but medication may work as well.

Depression co-morbid with diseases—Chronic illnesses such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease and moderate to severe diabetes can all instigate depression symptoms. Depression statistics reveal that dealing with constant pain, hospitalization, the threat of death, worry and financial problems associated with a debilitating illness can precipitate depression in many individuals. A program of antidepressants and counseling is frequently implemented in such cases to assist the patient in dealing with his or her illness.

Depressions Statistics Regarding Who is Likely to Experience Depression

Depression statistics extracted from general studies about who is most likely to experience depression look like this:

People who are between the ages of 45—65 suffer more frequently from depression.
Women report more incidences of depression than men.
Depression statistics cite Hispanics and blacks as experiencing more depression than whites.
Individuals without a high school diploma have a greater incidence of depression.
Individuals who are unemployed or cannot find work are more likely to suffer from depression.
A 2009 Gallup poll recently found that “the rate of depression is twice as high for Americans making less than $24,000 a year than it is for those who earn above $60,000”.
People residing in rural areas tend to be more depressed than those living in highly populated urban areas. Researchers suggest this is due to the fact that individuals living in rural places are in poorer health, have limited access to health care or do not readily seek out professional treatment for physical or mental disorders like urban dwellers do.
The majority of depressed patients receiving treatment for depression report markedly improved lives through counseling and/or medication.
According to depression statistics, economic impact of depression is thought to be around $31 billion each year.
According to the Center for Disease Control, major depression is nearly 3 times more common among closely related members of a family than people who are not blood-related.

Depression Statistics and the United States

The Centers for Disease Control depression statistics are an overview of the 50 states and the estimated percentage of each state’s population suffering from depression. The lowest states with a rate of 4.8 percent to 7 percent include Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Alaska and Colorado. The states possessing the highest rates of depression at an estimated rate of 10.4 percent to 15 percent are: Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama and Puerto Rico.

Researchers suggest the reasons for this concentration of depressed people in mostly southern states may lie in the fact that these states are also the poorest states in the nation, with an annual income average of around $38,000. Economic stress and lack of educational resources figure prominently in depression statistics citing risks for developing major depressive disorders.

Different Types of Depression

Depression statistics also reveal which depression types are most commonly reported. In addition to major depressive order previously discussed, other classifications of depression are:

Dysthymic disorder—An individual with dysthymia experiences an almost continual depressed mood for at least two years in addition to at least two of these symptoms:

Appetite disturbances, such as overeating, anorexia
Hypersomnia or hyposomnia
Lack of energy
Sleepiness
Feelings of guilt, hopelessness, low self-esteem, unworthiness
Inability concentrate or make decisions

The difference between dysthymic disorder and major depression is that dysthymia symptoms are not as debilitating as those characterizing major depressive disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health depression statistics, dysthymia affects nearly 11 million adults (5.5 percent) in the United States, which translates to approximately one in 24 individuals. Additionally, around 11 percent of children between the ages of 13 and 18 years old experience dysthymic or major depressive disorder, with girls more prone to depression than boys.

Bipolar Disorder, formerly known as manic depression—Allthough the person suffering from bipolar disorder does not suffer from one continuous depressive episode, this mental illness is included in the group of depressive disorders because bi-polar individuals will experience severe depression once they have finished with the “manic” episode. Mania usually lasts for at least a week and involves behavior that is extremely hyperactive, paranoid, dangerously risky and obsessive.

People in the grip of the manic phase of bipolar disorder will not sleep, have grandiose delusions about themselves and talk non-stop about ideas and plans that are incomprehensible to others. However, this mood will suddenly and inexplicably vanish, leaving the individuals in a severe and crippling depression. After a period of depression, the cycle begins again, with the individual repeating behavior associated with the manic phase of bipolar disorder.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression statistics involving bipolar disorder:

Nearly 6 million adults or 2.6% of the population are affected.
The average age when bipolar disorder strikes individuals is 25 years of age; however, bipolar disorder can affect anyone at any age.
Bipolar disorder affects everyone equally, regardless of sex, ethnicity or socioeconomic status
Bipolar disorder is thought to be one of the most genetically based mental disorders, with 2/3 of people affected with bipolar disorder having at least one close relative suffering from the illness as well.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) comprehensive body of depression statistics, bipolar disorder is the sixth leading cause of disability in the world.
The National Institute of Mental Health states that this mental health problem may result in an average life span reduction of 9.2 years because one in five people with bipolar disorder will complete a suicide attempt
A child has a 15 to 30 percent chance of developing bipolar disorder if one parent has the disorder. When both parents are affected, the chanced rises to between 50 and 75 percent.

Atypical Depression Statistics

As a sub-type of dysthymia or major depression, atypical depression symptoms focus on the physical aspects of depression in response or reaction to events occurring in one’s life. Diagnostic criteria necessary for a pronouncement of atypical disorder comes from the DSM-IV:

Losing interest in things that were once enjoyable
Feeling happier or cheered up by events perceived as positive
Weight gain caused by increased appetite
Sleeping excessively
Being inexplicably sensitive to rejection or criticism
Complaining that legs and arms feel abnormally heavy or lethargic

Depression statistics regarding the prevalence of atypical depression are limited because depression types such as this are generally lumped together with major depressive disorder. In addition, atypical depression can develop and continue over the course of several years without the individual seeking treatment or reporting their atypical depression symptoms to a health professional.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)—Although seasonal affective disorder generally causes depression symptoms to occur only during the winter, it can lead to major depressive disorder if left untreated. Commonly abbreviated as SAD, seasonal affective disorder causes individuals to experience extreme difficulty coping with dark, long winter days and usually disturbs more women than men. Occasionally, doctors report patients who experience SAD during bright, summer months but depression statistics regarding this type of mood disorder is much less common than winter SAD. Possible reasons for someone to experience SAD include:

Body temperature changes
Genetics
Hormones
Sensitivity to light

Depression statistics show that between 4% and 6% of people in the United States suffer from SAD. Another 10% to 20% may experience a mild form of winter-onset SAD. SAD is more common in women than in men. Although some children and teenagers get SAD, it usually doesn’t start in people younger than 20 years of age. For adults, the risk of SAD appears to decrease as they age.

According to Familydoctor.org, up to six per cent of individuals living in the U.S. report symptoms of SAD, with another 20% experiencing mild indications of SAD. Predictably, it is reported more frequently in northern areas of the world where winters nights are longer and less sunlight is available.

Treatment for seasonal affective disorder involves being outdoors as much as possible during the day and participating in regular exercise sessions. Light therapy utilizing an extremely bright fluorescent light bulb is also used as well, with encouraging results. Antidepressants are sometimes prescribed to alleviate depression but counseling is generally not implemented because this type of depression is not provoked by distorted thought processes or traumatic events.

Psychotic Depression—Individuals suffering from psychotic depression are not only depressed, but have had a break with reality causing paranoia, hallucinations and delusions. While these symptoms resemble those seen in people with schizophrenia, psychotic depression is different in that those who are psychotically depressed have an understanding, if somewhat superficial, of what is happening to them. Schizophrenics, on the other hand, believe what they think, hear or see is real, when it really is not real.

Psychologists and psychiatrists are not certain as to what exactly causes psychotic depression but they do know that a hormone called cortisol is involved in the development of this disorder. Individuals with psychotic depression exhibit high levels of cortisol in their blood stream, an indication they are suffering from psychological and biological stress.

Cortisol is the principle hormone involved in the stress response and is meant to prepare the body for times of extreme mental or physical pressure. It does this by increasing levels of glucose, suppressing immune system functioning, stimulating metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats and reducing new formation of bone.

An examination of depression statistics regarding those hospitalized due to depression finds that almost 25 percent are suffering from psychotic depression upon admittance. In addition, according to a report published on the Psychiatryonline.org website “the mortality rate for individuals diagnosed with psychotic depression was significantly greater than those experiencing nonpsychotic depression”. It goes on to say that, 41 percent of psychotically depressed individuals die within 15 years of hospitalization, versus 20 percent of those with major depression who die after going to the hospital.

This discrepancy may be due to potentially fatal illnesses such as heart and kidney disease exacerbated by consistently high levels of cortisol affecting the body. This mortality rate could also be elevated because of an increase and ultimate completion of suicide attempts.

Depression Statistics and the Elderly

Suffering a major depressive disorder is not a normal aspect of the aging process. Experiencing emotional times of grief, sadness or loss is normal but these should not remain and incapacitate an older individual. Many doctors may erroneously assume that chronic depression is normal in those over 70 who are trying to adjust to aging, chronic illnesses, deaths of family and friends or financial difficulties. Psychologists and gerontologists think this is a major factor impeding diagnoses and treatment of elderly people with depression.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health’s depression statistics, those who are over the age of 65 accounted for nearly 16 percent of suicide deaths in 2004, even though this age group only comprises 12 percent of the total population of the United States.
Out of every 100,000 people over the age of 65, almost 15 died by suicide in 2004
White men of non-Hispanic origin over the age of 85 were more likely to die by suicide than any other demographic, with a nearly 50 percent rate of suicide deaths for every 100,000 individuals in that age group.
Elderly people who require living assistance experience higher rates of suicide. Those who need home healthcare experienced almost 14 percent more depression than those who lived independently without assistance.
Older depression patients who are 70 and older and take antidepressants for symptoms for two years or more were 60 percent less likely to experience a major depressive disorder than those who chose not to continue taking medication

The NIMH also gives these depression statistics regarding elderly individuals of certain ethnicities:

Asian and Pacific Islanders — 10.6 per 100,000
Hispanics — 7.9 per 100,000
Non-Hispanic Blacks — 5.0 per 100,000

Postpartum Depression Statistics

Most women experience negligible feelings of depression and fatigue following the birth of a baby but these symptoms generally disappear as hormone levels regulate themselves and the new mother adapts to her role as caretaker for her daughter or son. However, according to a CDC survey on incidences of extended and moderate to severe postpartum depression (PPD), the prevalence of self-reported PPD “ranged from 11.7 percent in Maine to 20.4 percent in New Mexico”.

Risk factors for developing postpartum depression include:

Being separated or divorced
No support system available
Traumatic birth experience
Previously diagnosed with depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder
Whether the pregnancy was planned or unplanned
Recent personal loss, such as death of parent or sibling

Other depression statistics reported by the CDC investigation into incidence of postpartum depression discovered that more mothers who had not graduated high school or who were teenage mothers experienced PPD.

Giving birth to an infant who requires neonatal intensive care or who has a low birth weight correlates with mothers who experienced symptoms of PPD. However, one drawback of the CDC study, published in the April 2008 edition of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, was that researchers did not divide women who were depressed before giving birth from those who later developed depression after birth. As a result, it is somewhat of an issue to accurately determine whether postpartum depression, as self-reported by these women, occurred only after birth or was exacerbated by giving birth.

Worldwide Depression Statistics

An article titled “Global Depression Statistics” published on ScienceDaily online, July 25, 2011 states that “depression affects nearly 121 million people worldwide” and suicide “is responsible for 850,000 deaths worldwide each year”. Other depression statistics noted in the article include:

Results from interviews revealed that 15 percent of people living in high-income countries (Scandinavia, Germany, etc.) were “likely to experience depression over their lifetime”

Alternatively, those living in low to middle-income countries were “likely to have an 11 percent risk of developing depression over their lifetime”

Major depressive episodes (MDE) were higher in richer countries as well, with a 28% incidence of MDE compared to a 20 percent incidence of MDE in less prosperous countries

China had the lowest rate of depression at 12 percent, with India having the highest at 36%

Women across all cultures were twice as likely to experience depressive episodes as men

Individuals living in low-income areas developed depression nearly two years earlier than those who lived in higher income countries

Depression Statistics Reveal High Cost of Mood Disorders

The Mental Health America.org website produced a comprehensive report in 2007 regarding the cost of depression in America. Among many of its findings are:

Depression costs exceed $30 billion each year due to lost productivity time experienced by workers in the United States. Debilitating illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic pain are often co-morbid with depression, which contributes to this high amount.

People suffering from depression may sometimes go for five or ten years before receiving appropriate care for their symptoms. Less than 1/3 receive adequate treatment when they do attempt to get help

When a legitimate number of psychologists and psychiatrists exist within a state to treat depressed patients, the suicide rates decrease. The fewer mental health professionals able to assist those suffering from depression, the higher the suicide rate will be.

Depression statistics show that states with lower suicide rates have better access to mental healthcare regardless of cost.

States containing a high percentage of individuals completing four years of college or more had lower suicide rates than those states that showed a low rate of people possessing a post-high school degree.

Depression statistics reveal that disorders of mood and emotion represent a significant problem worldwide, affecting not only individuals but also those who must try to understand and help those who are suffering from persistent feelings of sadness, despair and hopelessness. Reducing costs, improving availability of counselors and psychologists and legislating benefits comparable to physical health insurance are all necessary to decrease suicide rates and assist those who need help with the debilitating features of depression.

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