VIPSIG_Depression_around_the_world.pdf (original) (raw)
Related papers
Global burden of depression: the intersection of culture and medicine
The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2003
The statistics about depression clearly identify it as a major public health problem (Greenberg et al, 1993). About 6% of the population meet the criteria for major depressive disorder or dysthymia at any time, and 20% of those with major depressive disorder will have symptoms that persist beyond 2 years (Keller et al, 1992). The disorder is highly recurrent; 30% of individuals experience a relapse within 3 months of recovery and (in the absence of continuation or maintenance treatment) 50% experience a further episode within 2 years. The standardised mortality ratios for unipolar depression for accidental deaths, for deaths by natural causes and for suicide were 1.4, 1.7 and 19.7, respectively (Ustun, 1999). In the National Health Service the cost of treating depression ($887 million) exceeds the cost of treating both hypertension ($439 million) and diabetes ($300 million) (Department of Health, 1996). However, the direct health care costs are dwarfed by the indirect costs (Berndt ...
WHO campaign to fight depression: an urgent public health agenda
Open Journal of Psychiatry & Allied Sciences, 2018
in terms of its prevalence, suffering, dysfunction and disability, morbidity, mortality (as a result of suicide), and economic burden. This review is a focus on the impact of depression and the World Health Organization's (WHO) call for campaign against depression in India.
The Epidemiology of Depression Across Cultures
Annual Review of Public Health, 2013
Epidemiological data are reviewed on the prevalence, course, socio-demographic correlates, and societal costs of major depression throughout the world. Major depression is estimated in these surveys to be a commonly occurring disorder. Although estimates of lifetime prevalence and course vary substantially across countries for reasons that could involve both substantive and methodological processes, the cross-national data are clear in documenting meaningful lifetime prevalence with wide variation in age-of-onset and high risk of lifelong chronic-recurrent persistence. A number of sociodemographic correlates of major depression are found consistently across countries, and cross-national data also document associations with numerous adverse outcomes, including difficulties in role transitions (e.g., low education, high teen childbearing, marital disruption, unstable employment), reduced role functioning (e.g., low marital quality, low work performance, low earnings), elevated risk of...
Social Science & Medicine, 2017
Depression is a major focus of concern in global mental health, with epidemiological surveys indicating high prevalence rates worldwide (Ferrari et al., 2013a). Estimates of the global burden of depression in terms of disability, quality of life, and economic impact have been used to argue for scaling up the detection and treatment of depression as a public health and development priority in low and middle-income countries (Chisholm et al., 2016; Patel, 2017). These projections, however, are based on limited data and make many assumptions about the generalizability of findings across populations. While epidemiological research suggests there is substantial cross-cultural variation in the prevalence and symptomatology of depression (Ferrari et al., 2013b; Kessler & Bromet, 2013), there is evidence that a syndrome similar to major depressive disorder can be identified across diverse cultural contexts (Kirmayer & Jarvis, 2006; Steel et al., 2014). In a useful contribution, Haroz and colleagues (this issue) reviewed the qualitative literature on cultural variations in depression to gauge the extent to which current diagnostic criteria fit the experience of people in diverse contexts. They found significant cultural variation and call for an expanded research program to explore the meaning and significance of these cultural differences for our understanding of mental health. This is crucial for current efforts to address global inequities in mental health and to make sense of claims of a global "epidemic" of depression (Baxter et al., 2014).