Depression results from a complex interaction of social, psychological, and biological factors. People who have gone through adverse life events (unemployment, bereavement, traumatic events) are more likely to develop depression.
Prevalence of Major Depressive Episode Among Adults
This number represented 8.3% of all U.S. adults. The prevalence of major depressive episode was higher among adult females (10.3%) compared to males (6.2%). The prevalence of adults with a major depressive episode was highest among individuals aged 18-25 (18.6%).
Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression. Depression can occur at any age. Some mood changes and depressed feelings occur with normal hormonal changes. But hormonal changes alone don't cause depression.
The average age of onset for major depressive disorder is between 35 and 40 years of age. Onset in early adulthood may be linked with more depressive episodes, a longer duration of illness, and therefore a more difficult clinical course.
It's possible to live with depression and feel happy at the same time. Sadness isn't the only depression symptom. If you're living with depression or know someone who is, you may think that the main symptom is a perpetual state of sadness.
Women are nearly twice as likely to suffer from major depression than men. However, men and women are equally likely to develop bipolar disorder. While major depression can develop at any age, the average age at onset is the mid-20s.
In their lifetimes, about one in five Australians will experience depression. Around the world, depression affects around 300 million people.
Depression is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, as the epidemiology has shown. Lifetime prevalence estimates vary widely, from 3% in Japan to 17% in India. Epidemiological data shows higher rates of depression in the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and U.S.A than in other regions and countries.
Depression is a global mental health issue that affects individuals to varying degrees across different countries. Some of the most depressed countries include Greece, Spain, Portugal, Palestine, and Tunisia.
World Health Organization global study
The United States, Colombia, the Netherlands and Ukraine tended to have higher prevalence estimates across most classes of disorder, while Nigeria, Shanghai and Italy were consistently low, and prevalence was lower in Asian countries in general.
50% of mental illness begins by age 14, and 3/4 begin by age 24.
Anxiety disorders (such as Social Phobia) are the most common type of disorder, affecting 1 in 6 (17%, or 3.3 million) Australians, followed by Affective disorders (such as Depressive Episode) (8%), and Substance Use disorders (such as Alcohol Dependence) (3. %).
Age group: Young adults ages 18 to 25 in the U.S have the highest rate of experiencing mental health conditions (30.6%), followed by those ages 26 to 49 (25.3%) and adults ages 50 and over (14.5%).
This, says Bill Deakin, has pointed them to several relevant features of brain function. They include cognitive flexibility - our capacity to adapt our thinking to different situations - and also the extent to which our brains concentrate on processing and remembering happy, as opposed to sad, information.
For some people, a negative, stressful, or unhappy family life can lead to depression. Other high-stress living situations — like poverty, homelessness, or violence — can lead to it, too. Dealing with bullying, harassment, or peer pressure also leaves some people feeling alone or anxious.
Research suggests that depression doesn't spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events.
Mental disorders are the result of both genetic and environmental factors. There is no single genetic switch that when flipped causes a mental disorder. Consequently, it is difficult for doctors to determine a person's risk of inheriting a mental disorder or passing on the disorder to their children.
Borderline personality disorder is one of the most painful mental illnesses since individuals struggling with this disorder are constantly trying to cope with volatile and overwhelming emotions.
Mental illnesses can be covered by the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act. It is against the law to discriminate against a person because of their disability. There are some limited exceptions and exemptions.
It is possible to recover from mental health problems, and many people do – especially after accessing support. Your symptoms may return from time to time, but when you've discovered which self-care techniques and treatments work best for you, you're more likely to feel confident in managing them.