Depression Statistics.

Reading these depression statistics and knowing the prevalence of depression in the world and developed countries makes one aware and alarmed that depression is so common with such a high incidence.

And to make matters worse, the incidence of depression is rising at an alarming pace and more so among young children and teens. It is as if, that these unfortunate children, teens and adults are facing increasing problems with life which they cannot handle.

Prevalence of Depression.

The cause of depression is not exactly known, but certain causes and risk factors have been identified and should be read to know how prone you too can be to depression. It is easy to avoid these risk factors and reduce your risk of going into depression. Reading the statistics for depression below will make you do just that.

Depression Stats.

• Depression is fairly common affecting about 121 million people worldwide.
• It is among the leading causes of disability.
• Less than 25% of the depressed have access to treatment. This is either due to lack of facilities or trained professionals and the social stigma of being a “mental patient” associated with visiting a psychiatrist.
• The figure among women (12%) is twice that of men (6.6%).
• Women between the age of 24 to 45 years are the most commonly affected due their inability to express anger.
• More than one million preschoolers are clinically depressed and on antidepressants. This figure is rising at an astounding rate of  23% per year.
• In U.K. about 4% of the children between the ages  of 4 years and 16 years are affected by depression.
• Depressive disorders including bipolar affect about 18.8 million of the American adult population , of age 18 years and older. This constitutes about 10% of the American population.
• Stats for most developed countries show that about 15% of the population suffers from depression.
• 92% of the African Americans do not take help for their depression.
• 15% of the depressed commit suicide.
• At the rate its incidence is rising, depression will be the second largest killer after heart disease.
• Depression is the largest contributory factor among physical disorders for absentees from work.
• Major depression is the leading cause of disability. Disability is the inability of a person to engage independently in some or all aspects of day to day life.
• In otherwise healthy people, the risk of depression is 10% to 25%  in women and 5% to 12% in men.
• In people who have a chronic illness, such as diabetes, kidney disease, arthritis, lupus, etc, the risk of depression is significantly higher at  between 25% to 33%.

Related posts:

1. Depressing Statistics for Depression in Women.
2. How Do You Get Depression.
3. Symptoms of Depression|Signs of Depression.
4. Depression.
5. Depression and Alcohol- a bad mix.
6. Alternative Treatments and Herbal Remedies for Depression.
7. Depression Symptoms in Women.
8. Depression and Weight.