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.
Countries with the least depression include several smaller, lower-income countries in South Asia such as Brunei, Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Mali, where less than 2.5% of the population is reported to have a depressive disorder.
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.
Women (23.8%) and adults aged 18 to 29 (24.6%) also have the highest rates of current depression or treatment for depression. These two groups (up 6.2 and 11.6 percentage points, respectively), as well as adults aged 30 to 44, have the fastest-rising rates compared with 2017 estimates.
In their lifetimes, about one in five Australians will experience depression. Around the world, depression affects around 300 million people.
According to this survey, Brazil leads the world in prevalence of anxiety disorders and ranks fifth in depression rates.
Mental health is a key component of overall health and wellbeing (WHO 2021). In any year in Australia, an estimated 1 in 5 people aged 16–85 will experience a mental health disorder (ABS 2022).
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.
Sweden. Sweden has the top positive mental health index which basically gives the mental health status of a given population. However, it wasn't always like this. Mental health policies of Sweden had only focused on two things: people suffering from severe mental health issues and the youth or the children.
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. %).
Rich countries tend to have greater income disparities between the very rich and very poor, which could play a role in the development of depression, the researchers said. It's also possible that the study underestimated depression rates in low- and middle-income countries, the researchers said.
Life events such as childhood adversity, loss and unemployment contribute to and may catalyse the development of depression. Psychological and pharmacological treatments exist for depression. However, in low- and middle-income countries, treatment and support services for depression are often absent or underdeveloped.
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), women are 1.5-3 more likely to suffer from depression. This gender-based difference only becomes significant around the age of ten, and persists until middle age, at which point the rates of depression among women and men once again become similar.
50% of mental illness begins by age 14, and 3/4 begin by age 24.
So how long do depressive episodes last? Usually, the depressive episode length ranges from six months to eight months, depending on the person. While some people may have depression that fades, others may struggle with depression on and off their whole life.
Social Anxiety Disorder
- SAD is equally common among men and women and typically begins around age 13. According to a 2007 ADAA survey, 36% of people with social anxiety disorder report - experiencing symptoms for 10 or more years before seeking help.
An estimated 3.2 percent of kids between the ages of 3 and 17 have diagnosed depression, which is about 1.9 million people. However, while depression is often associated with moody teens, major depression is most commonly diagnosed in adults between the ages of 40 to 59 (7 percent of men, and 12 percent of women).
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.
Each year, about 1 in every 5 Australians will experience a mental illness. Almost half the population has experienced a mental health disorder at some time in their life.
Breakdown: 43.7% of people aged 16-85 in Australia experienced a mental health disorder* at some time in their life. This is equivalent to 8.6 million people1. Message: Almost a third of people in Australia will experience an anxiety condition in their lifetime.
- Depression affects more people than any other mental disorder and is also one of the world's leading causes of disability. Although it is a treatable disease, six out of every ten people who have depression in Latin America and the Caribbean do not seek or do not receive the treatment they need.
The NIH reports that generalized anxiety affects approximately 2.7 percent of American adults, with women experiencing the disorder at a higher rate (3.4 percent) versus men (1.9 percent). Around 5.7 percent of adults will experience anxiety at some point in life.
Anxiety disorders affect nearly 1 in 5 adults in the United States. Women are more than twice as likely as men to get an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Anxiety disorders are often treated with counseling, medicine, or a combination of both. Some women also find that yoga or meditation helps with anxiety disorders.